quote: When they wrote the contract hiring a surrogate mother to carry their child to term, Californians Charles Wheeler and Martha Berman made sure they would only have to care for one baby. They added a clause that gave them the option of making the surrogate have a "selective-reduction" abortion if more than one child was conceived, Time magazine reported.
After an ultrasound examination showed that surrogate mother Helen Beasley was carrying twins, the couple demanded that she fly from her home in England to California to abort one of them, according to Time. Beasley was willing to go, but when the scheduled date of the abortion was delayed until after the 12th week of pregnancy, she decided it was too late and refused to have the abortion, according to Time.
This was probably on Hatrack at the time it happened. Anyone know what happened to the kids?
Posts: 666 | Registered: Dec 2003
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Another link. I'm researching this because I had previously thought that I couldn't ever stand to be a surrogate if the baby had a serious defect and the donors wanted it aborted. It appears these kind of matters can depend on the contract.
quote: Of the surrogate mother sample, 37% had abortion in their history. Thirteen percent of the women had had more than one abortion. For some, unresolved feelings regarding these terminations were a factor in their desire to be a surrogate. ... They also felt empathy for childless couples, an empathy increased by prior contact with an infertile couple's pain and by the importance of children in their own lives.
I think that is what would motivate me, if I ever decided to do something like this.
Posts: 666 | Registered: Dec 2003
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quote: It also came to light that although Martha Berman and Charles Wheeler had always declared that they only wanted one child and that is why we had been dumped a surrogate mother came forward and I learnt that whilst I believed I was the only surrogate involved with Martha Berman and Charles Wheeler - before, during and after my transfer and after a positive pregnancy test Martha Berman and Charles Wheeler had been in touch with her asking her to be their surrogate too.
A second surrogate also came forward and it was learnt that after a positive pregnancy test and before I had discussed with Martha Berman and Charles Wheeler the fact that I was carrying twins and what we were going to do, they had already asked her to become their surrogate too. They told her that they had 15 remaining embryos and they wanted to transfer as soon as possible. I was 8 weeks pregnant with twin’s unyet throughout the entire time from the December prior to the transfer up until towards the end of April with myself a surrogate successfully pregnant for them, they had been trying to get other women pregnant too.
Wow, I read the whole thing. Well, I was only considering surrogacy for someone I know.
Posts: 666 | Registered: Dec 2003
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The story sounds a little fishy to me. If the couple really did utilize someone else's SSN to fradulently obtain insurance then there would have been criminal proceedings. How hard would it be to obtain the application with the SSN and prove that this English woman isn't the woman who held the SSN originally? It seems like that wouldn't be too hard to prove. I don't know. Something just seems really off in that very long account.
Posts: 1132 | Registered: A Long Time Ago!
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I think the fact that the couple picked a surrogate from England is a lot more fishy. Sounds like they were counting on her ignorance and the difficulties of jurisdiction. Anyway, I'd advise anyone considering surrogacy to ensure they have their own lawyer representing them from the get go. A sad state of affairs.
Keep in mind also she doesn't want the babies back, she just wishes someone cared whether the parents sold them and are incubating others to sell.
Posts: 666 | Registered: Dec 2003
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