FAMILY MATTERS: What you need to know about surrogacy
The Law Commission is currently reviewing surrogacy laws in New Zealand – and a private members bill by Labour MP Tamati Coffey to make surrogacy easier has just been drawn from the ballot and will be debated in Parliament. This bill will make it easier to find surrogates and donors from a register, may include some level of payment, and would record SOME of the details of the biological parents who provide the embryo or the cells for the pregnancy.
But the question that nobody is asking is – should we be making surrogacy and sperm donation “easier”?
What is it like to find out that your true biological father’s only involvement in your life was the donation of his sperm? How do you deal with the feeling of loss and rejection from your biological mother who is labelled as your ‘surrogate’ or ‘gestational carrier’? Is it normal that when you see someone who resembles you, you wonder if they are related? Can you be blamed for feeling disturbed that some money or a contract may have been involved in your conception? What if the biological parent or parents don’t want any contact?
Watch this short presentation of the issue.
