Circle in a letter to the NY Times about surrogacy article: Ground Rules are Needed, but also Perspective

In reaction to the NY Times Sunday article about "Building a Baby, With Few Ground Rules", the head of one of the oldest surrogacy agencies in the country calls for renewed efforts to set these ground rules, but also warns against losing sight of the amazing high levels of safety and success achieved by reputable professionals today.

December 13, 2009

John Weltman, Circle Surrogacy's president and a nationally recognized expert in the field of reproductive law, has been advocating for mandatory guidelines for surrogate parenting agencies and fertility centers long before the publication of the recent New York Times article. But in the aftermath of the article the NY Times published a letter by Weltman where he expresses concern that instead of helping raise awareness of the need for regulation, the article may damage a profession that has "the highest success rate worldwide in producing biologically related children for infertile and gay couples, with no legal headaches for the parents and a joyous and memorable experience for the surrogates and donors involved."

"If the Times' point is to raise consciousness to such a degree that professional organizations, such as the American Bar Association, the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, and legal, medical and social work boards throughout the country begin to adopt standards that protect children, surrogates, donors and intended parents, then good for them," said Weltman. "But I fear that, along the way, the author has created a story that is so one sided that it makes it appear as though the majority of cases in third party reproduction are handled this badly."

Weltman has expressed disappointment that the article focused on three of possibly only a handful of surrogacy horror stories in recent years, without pointing out that in thousands of successful journeys these pitfalls were effectively avoided.

"The author has chosen stories from three states with laws that expressly prohibit or severely restrict surrogacy, which reputable agencies avoid," said Weltman. "She has further chosen for her focus situations in which intended parents were not screened, or were over age limits that most clinics and agencies set. Finally, she has focused on surrogates who either had critical information withheld from them by the parents, or who should never have been accepted as surrogates due to their lack of experience in carrying a pregnancy to term."

John Weltman points out that in any of the alternative paths to parenting it would not be difficult to find stories that would equally shock – whether it be in adoption, foster care, or reproductive medicine. "The fact is that as long as intended parents seek the help of reputable agencies, surrogacy is today one of the safest methods to have a child," says Weltman. "However, I believe that the future of surrogacy is ultimately to become a licensed profession" he said. "Surrogacy should become more like adoption in the sense that agencies should be licensed and adhere to certain requirements." Already similar to adoption agencies, Circle Surrogacy screens and provides counseling to both parents and surrogates, and "our staff provides emotional and practical support throughout the whole process."