How far would you go to have a baby of your own? How much money would you spend? Would you travel to the other side of the world? Would you spend $35,000? Before I had my son, I would have scoffed at the idea, but now I know I would give up all my money and travel to the ends of the earth for him. Children make all the sacrifices worth it. For one couple in Michigan, many sacrifices were made and a lot of money was spent to bring their baby home. Married for over two decades, Victor and Mary struggled to start a family, and it wasn’t until recently that their dream came true via a surrogate mother in India. Their story was featured on MLive.com recently and it is a touching account of the great lengths some will go to become parents.
Surrogate pregnancy is becoming more and more popular. Facilities, like the one in India where Victor and Mary’s baby was conceived, house, clothe, feed and care for surrogate moms throughout the pregnancy, somewhat guaranteeing the health of the baby (provided that there are no congenital defects or other serious problems, of course). Parents who choose to use surrogates at these facilities have the peace of mind that comes with knowing their baby is well cared for. Surrogacy is very expensive, but so are fertility treatments and adoption. Even for women who are able to get pregnant easily, babies are far from free. It’s easy for a woman to rack up twenty to thirty grand in hospital bills if she undergoes a cesarean and does not have an insurance.
Surrogacy is somewhat of a controversial issue. Some believe that adoption should be pursued before childless couples go to such great lengths to conceive a biological child, arguing that the population is too large already and there are too many orphans. Others are concerned about the ethics of IVF, particularly when extra embryos are made and discarded. Still, many families choose surrogacy as a method to welcome new babies into the family.