Myths abound regarding babies and political correctness. Any significant upending of societal norms is initially met with abject horror, grudging reluctance, curiosity, growing support and then majority acceptance. I think IVF is now considered normal. Acceptance of donors has growing support. Surrogacy is probably in the curious phase and the lack of transparency, public discussion, and criminalisation keeps it there. If those impediments were removed, and the public was better educated, there would be a shift towards acceptance. At the moment, there is secrecy, misinformation and a lack of any reliable information around surrogacy. That needs to change.
If Lady Hale who was responsible for the report which led to the ban on commercial surrogacy in the UK, the Warnock Committee 1984 Report, can acknowledge that there was no real public consultation before the ban and that public sentiment may have changed, then those countries which ban should hear from the participants themselves and take another look at fertility laws. Contrary to what some advocates would have us believe, surrogates in Australia, America, Canada and the UK are typically themselves middle class and are not exploited.
Why should infertile couples just accept the cards that have been initially dealt? Why are fewer children better for the environment? Those arguments are dead wrong.
You cannot make wide-sweeping arguments about harm especially potential not actual harm without hearing from the participants. You can’t tell couples they have no right to procreate. And it is not insignificant that we replace ourselves – that’s where great technological advancements come from – human beings. All of those arguments are misconceived.
Do not be in the least apologetic about wanting to do everything you can to have a baby late. Steel yourself for the journey. Babies are more important than not drawing attention to yourself for fear of going, for a brief moment in time, against the tide of popular opinion.
Babies need better press as do all things which support more babies being born that not. This means support for long term intimate relationships with partners in favour of endless dating, support for family structures that promote fathers and mothers sticking around and support for morals that underpin taking on that responsibility and support for improving access to good fertility treatment to better pregnancy odds including some of the more controversial methods if the actual benefits outweigh the theoretical harm.
