Surrogacy: of Byzantine complexity

Surrogacy describes the practice whereby ‘...One woman carries a child for another person with the intention that the child should be handed over at birth’. How might this arrangement impinge on clinical care? Recent evidence indicates uncertainty in this area of practice.1 A married English couple, unable to conceive, entered a contract in America whereby for payment a surrogate mother was found, then successfully inseminated artificially with the husband’s sperm.2 When birth was imminent all three adults came to England; the baby was born in hospital in 1985. A few hours later, the mother left her newborn with the staff until she could be collected by her intended parents. They commenced proceedings seeking care and control. The court found that the child’s welfare was the central consideration, with ample evidence demonstrating that it was in her interests to be looked after by the applicant parents....
Source: Archives of Disease in Childhood - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Clinical law for clinical practice Source Type: research