Quantum Windbag
Gold Member
- May 9, 2010
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Can parents force a surrogate to have an abortion? If not, can they be held legally responsible for a child they do not want?
Couple urged surrogate to abort fetus due to defect
Obviously Canada has different laws, but in the US most states would hold the father responsible for child support regardless of any contract they might have.
When a B.C. couple discovered that the fetus their surrogate mother was carrying was likely to be born with Down syndrome, they wanted an abortion. The surrogate, however, was determined to take the pregnancy to term, sparking a disagreement that has raised thorny questions about the increasingly common arrangements.Under the agreement the trio signed, the surrogates choice would mean absolving the couple of any responsibility for raising the child, the treating doctor told a recent fertility-medicine conference.
Dr. Ken Seethram, revealing the unusual situation for the first time, said it raises questions about whether government oversight of contracts between mothers and commissioning parents is needed.
A bioethicist who has studied the issue extensively argues that contract law should not apply to the transaction, unless human life is to be treated like widgets in a factory.
Should the rules of commerce apply to the creation of children? No, because children get hurt, said Juliet Guichon of the University of Calgary. Its kind of like stopping the production line: Oh, oh, theres a flaw. It makes sense in a production scenario, but in reproduction its a lot more problematic.
Couple urged surrogate to abort fetus due to defect
Obviously Canada has different laws, but in the US most states would hold the father responsible for child support regardless of any contract they might have.