During this election season, reproductive rights are on the ballot! This year has been full of legislative changes that impact reproductive health care, from the overturn of Roe v. Wade for abortion rights, the Alabama state supreme court decision that declared embryos as children, and the latest news of the legalization of surrogacy in Michigan. We all deserve agency over our own bodies, the ability to decide how and when to create our own families and the ability to safeguard the deeply personal reproductive decisions of our families. There is a lot at stake on November 5th and we encourage you to get out and vote!
Rights for Surrogates are Rights for Intended Parents.
The overturn of Roe v. Wade impacts women’s autonomy, safety, and ability to make choices that affect their own health and well-being. Surrogate rights are deeply impacted by these decisions. Without agency and options that protect their own life, it changes whether a surrogate feels safe enough to carry a child for intended parents. Often, surrogacy is the last resort for intended parents and are often desperate to have a child. Once the rights of a surrogate are limited, so are the options for intended parents. Rights for surrogates are rights for intended parents.
Surrogates Out–of–State
Intended parents who choose surrogacy as their path to family building often do not live in the same state as their surrogate. The overturn of Roe v Wade and Alabama supreme court decision has unfortunately made some states less desirable (or impossible) to embark on an IVF or surrogacy journey. Intended parents fear working with a surrogate who lives in certain states. And after the Alabama ruling, some of the largest IVF centers were at risk of prosecution. While lawmakers later passed legislation for IVF to resume in Alabama, it imposed new considerations on intended parents that previously were not a risk. As a result, qualified surrogate candidates and intended parents are faced with concerns that they’ve never had before.
Fundamental Rights
Both surrogates and intended parents are concerned about medical care of gestational carriers. The freedom to make fundamental decisions in a surrogacy agreement are on the ballot including the rights to:
Choose whether to carry a pregnancy to term
Choose whether and how to give birth
Choose whether and how to terminate a pregnancy
Protecting The Future
Every surrogate and intended parent deserve the rights and autonomy to make decisions that are best for themselves and their families. Unfortunately, the erosion of reproductive rights is undermining true basic human rights. Reproductive rights should also be accessible to everyone and not based on socioeconomic status and geographic location. With the upcoming election, we have the power to vote and to make changes in the existing political system. The reality of how our democracy functions – who gets elected, who has power, whose voices are heard – comes into sharper focus. Remember, your vote matters on November 5th.
At Alcea, we are a decidedly different surrogacy agency that has chartered a way to offer equal opportunities for ALL who wish to create families via surrogacy. Our hope is to continue to advance reproductive justice, so that all people have the power and resources to safely make healthy, independent decisions about their bodies, sexuality, and reproductive health.
Visit us at https://alceasurrogacy.com/about-us/