Surrogate mother....a solution
by Valerie Ozsu

Dear Abdel-Maguid:

You are definitely correct on all counts. Surrogacy has been tested in the court
system here, and the most famous case involved a woman who changed her mind
after the delivery. She was married at the time and was trying to "help" a family,
and also wanted the money. After the delivery it became a court room nightmare
and affected families on both sides. The child was caught in the middle and it
was pretty ugly. I can't remember the name of the case, but it definitely made
my opinion of this kind of practice negative.

In my career, I have cared for two women who have done it solely for money, and
one even was surrogate twice. I can't help but think that sometime in the future
the emotional repercussions will hit them.

I strongly believe that what we get in life is God's Will, and even though medical
science can certainly be helpful with infertility (what about selective abortion?),
the bio-ethical dilemmas are difficult to deal with and should be dealt with very
seriously during all steps of the planning and implementing phases.

Valerie