Surrogacy is Commendable, not Deplorable

By Nazca Fontes, Founder and Executive Chairman of ConceiveAbilities

On January 8th, Pope Francis made remarks about surrogacy, describing this important method of family-building as “deplorable.” His statement is particularly impactful right now, as more people than ever are choosing surrogacy to have children, representing over 5% of all in vitro fertilization cycles based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

He said, “The path to peace calls for respect for life, for every human life, starting with the life of the unborn child in the mother’s womb, which cannot be suppressed or turned into an object of trafficking. In this regard, I deem deplorable the practice of so-called surrogate motherhood, which represents a grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child, based on the exploitation of situations of the mother’s material needs. A child is always a gift and never the basis of a commercial contract. Consequently, I express my hope for an effort by the international community to prohibit this practice universally. At every moment of its existence, human life must be preserved and defended; yet I note with regret, especially in the West, the continued spread of a culture of death, which in the name of a false compassion discards children, the elderly and the sick.”

Here are the facts. Infertility affects 1 in 6 people worldwide and surrogacy provides a crucial avenue to parenthood for those facing challenges in conceiving. Many people have been through a long and challenging infertility journey, have experienced medical challenges that prevent them from carrying their child, or don’t have a uterus to carry one, including men. Surrogacy is an infertility treatment with the highest success rate for these situations and many others. The public’s opinions of compensated surrogacy are on the rise, based on our research, with 89% approval currently.

Pope Francis raises legitimate concerns about the possibility of surrogacy denigrating women or causing undue loss of life, concerns that I share when the process of surrogacy is not professionally managed. The guidelines, in full, as expressed by the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), together with the strong legal framework in the United States and the best practices followed zealously by our agency, are absolutely vital for the protection of all of the participants in the surrogacy process: the surrogate, the child and the intended parents. Surrogacy is, no doubt, a complex and demanding undertaking and it absolutely requires the skills of professional experts.

First, let me briefly describe the process of professionally managed surrogacy. In modern surrogacy, which we exclusively practice, surrogates do not share DNA and are in no way genetically related to the child she is carrying for another person. The embryo is created from the genetic material of the intended parents or with the assistance of an egg and/or sperm donor. To receive that embryo, a surrogate goes through the same medical preparation steps, and steps to transfer the embryo, as any woman who undergoes IVF treatment with a fertility clinic. If and when she becomes pregnant, she is cared for by her obstetrician. Legal work takes place to ensure parentage is secured for the intended parents. Upon birth, the baby goes home with its parents. At ConceiveAbilities, our “fourth trimester” program supports the surrogate throughout her recovery.

Notably, as embryology has advanced, one embryo is transferred to the surrogate as is the standard now for our program at ConceiveAbilities. It is safer for both the surrogate and the baby that she carries.

Second, we have conducted extensive research at our own expense on why a woman chooses to become a surrogate. We’ve learned, time and again, that a woman is motivated to become a surrogate because she feels called to do so. She is paid because she should be, given the time and effort and risks associated with her efforts as a surrogate. We have found that the women who are drawn to surrogacy are generous, well-informed, and, surprising even to us, rather affluent. More than 60% of qualified surrogates report a household income above $75,000.

Surrogates are giving people. More than half volunteer regularly. Nearly half are registered blood and organ donors. Almost one-quarter of them foster pets. 68% see surrogacy as a way to support the LGBTQ community. More than three-quarters of experienced surrogates say they did so because they knew someone personally in need. Two-thirds say they had first-hand exposure to a relative or close friend’s struggle with infertility.

She has a simple desire to help: 87% say they find joy in helping others and 74% report they are motivated by a sense of empowerment as a surrogate. Among our own surrogate population, 56% of women who have been surrogates with ConceiveAbilities want to do another surrogacy journey and 78% want to refer a friend to be a surrogate with us.

Being a surrogate is a selfless, enduring, and commendable act of generosity. I am in awe of each woman who chooses to learn more about surrogacy. That said, surrogates must be fully protected for the investment of their body, time and effort. A growing legal framework, network of medical professionals, and professional agencies, all of which continue to become stronger, do just that.

Finally, at ConceiveAbilities, our program is built on a foundation of shared decision making between surrogates and intended parents. Our experts provide professional guidance to navigate both routine and unusual decisions that arise during the surrogacy journey. We believe all professionals involved in surrogacy should be vigilant about safeguarding and insisting on best practices. While independent journeys or journeys with small local agencies can be successful, we believe that the risk mitigation that comes from working with a national agency is essential for all surrogacy participants.

I founded ConceiveAbilities because I believe everyone who wants a family should be able to fulfill that dream. As more people choose surrogacy to grow their family, and as more women choose to become surrogates, I will continue my life’s work to help these families. Surrogacy is commendable.