The dark heart of surrogacy - a thread 🧵

Nowhere is the callous nature more apparent than in the Law Commission discussions around still birth.

We apologise in advance for the upsetting nature of this thread and advise caution if you are grieving baby loss.

#surrogacy In the Law Commission consultation paper it was proposed that commissioning parents would be the legal parents of any stillborn baby.

We were shocked by published responses to the Law Commission Consultation, revealing the dark heart of the surrogacy industry.
This response from a NHS OBG deserves a thread of its own. NHSOBG hasn’t time to read the full 500 page consultation but they think its “a very good thing”.

They refer to the Surrogate Mother as “The Host”.

BREAKING NEWS - LEGAL FIRST - PARENTAL ORDER OVERTURNED

#surrogacy
#SurrogacyRegret
#Motherhood
#DisappearingWomenAsMothers
#AltruisticSurrogacy
#ParentalRights 1. 1.We attended court last November to support this Surrogate Mother (SM) in the case to ‘set aside’ the Parental Order. We understand this case to be a one of a kind which was won on the basis of consent which we will explore in an upcoming blog but first some background…

Thread: The gift of life. Is there any appropriate repayment for such a gift? In USA whilst commercial surrogacy is awash with tropes of surrogate mothers as “angels” giving the “gift of life” payment in the region of $30-50 K is the norm. Why be generous with a post birth gift? In the UK the “altruistic” concept is carefully nurtured, with payment limited to “reasonable” expenses only, so post birth “gifts” are expected to be more generous.
A recuperative holiday is the norm, approved by a judge.

Norwegian Minister for Children and Families Kjersti Toppe says that as it illegal to use a surrogate mother in Norway it should not be permitted to use a surrogate mother abroad. worldakkam.com/norwegian-fami… Toppe said that she wanted to criminalize the use of surrogate mothers abroad: “... the disciplinary provisions form *an attitude* and support the seriousness of the legal provisions. The important thing is to clarify that *this is prohibited*."

Really interesting 168-strong survey, though a shame that only 2 surrogate mothers responded, so with an unintentional focus on those who benefit from #surrogacy it collects key data with balance provided. Our analysis follows. Epic 🧵 1.

https://twitter.com/CFentonGlynn/status/1516861527680237570

2. Same sex respondents (9), 5 admit to using ‘legal loopholes’ to access #commercialsurrogacy in #Ukraine – laws there only permit infertile heterosexual couples to apply for #surrogacy

So interesting to listen to Clémence from @PdfQuebec

Where states are keen to promote #surrogacy it seems they all sing from the same songbook.

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/fem… Only consult with interested parties or “stakeholders” ie lawyers, hopeful commissioning parents, fertility clinics.

Exclude feminists and women’s organisations.

Quebec ✅ UK @Law_Commission ✅

Thread: When is a mother a mother?

Many People have heard of Baby Gammy, the Thai boy born to a surrogate mother and rejected by his Australian commissioning parents due to his having Down’s syndrome whilst they kept his twin sister. Gammy’s mother opted to raise him herself. Not so many people are familiar with Britain’s own Baby Grammy, a twin girl who was cruelly rejected by her commissioning mother who kept the sibling baby boy.

Woman rejected disabled surrogate baby as a ‘dribbling cabbage’.

thetimes.co.uk/article/906372…

We are a grassroots, single-issue, campaign group focussed on #surrogacyreform but with 2m refugees, more fleeing, others trapped, unable or unwilling to leave their homeland #Ukraine it’s impossible to remain focused on #uksurrogacy With media outlets, politicians and agencies focusing on the commissioning parents, some journalists like @thedalstonyears see #internationalsurrogacy for what it is – the peak of entitlement, never more clear than during times of conflict.
theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2…

We don't think this is clickbait, but actually an accurate and timley article which looks at the maternity scandal at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS trust, international commercial #surrogacy in #Ukraine and Catherine Bennett also highlights proposed #lawreform #surrogacyreform in UK

https://twitter.com/TwoDads_UK/status/1498315813765677057

"The Law Commission’s confidence in British arrangements appears largely based on one small study of local altruistic surrogacy likely to be unrepresentative of any new, paying version." This possibly refers to Dr Kirsty Horsey's 2015 study...