By Wesley J. Smith, J.D., Special Consultant to the CBC

What a can of worms unregulated IVF has become. Latest example: A couple using IVF and a surrogate have ordered the hired gestater to abort because the fetus/unborn baby had Down syndrome. From the story on BioNews:

A couple from British Columbia, Canada, have been embroiled in a complex ethical battle after their surrogate refused their request to abort the fetus she was carrying. The couple made the request after tests revealed the baby would likely be born with Down’s syndrome. Although the parties had entered into contract, legal proceedings were not brought by the surrogate who, in the end, decided to have an abortion due – in part – to her own family obligations . . . Dr Ken Seethram, the treating doctor, recently addressed the Canadian Society of Fertility and Andrology on the dispute. He revealed that, according to a signed agreement between the parties, the surrogate’s refusal of an abortion would absolve the commissioning couple of any responsibility for the child.

Sickening on all counts. And whose responsibility would it be to care for the child that didn’t meet the couple’s criteria for being worthy of life if the surrogate didn’t want the baby? The surrogate’s according to the contract.

IVF has led to a sense of entitlement to only have a baby we want — as if a child is a mere consumer product:

Sally Rhoads, of Surrogacy in Canada Online, said decisions pertaining to the future of a defective fetus should be made at the outset. Furthermore, she argued for the protection of the commissioning couple. ‘The baby that’s being carried is their baby. It’s usually their genetic offspring’, she said. ‘Why should the intended parents be forced to raise a child they didn’t want? It’s not fair’. Ms Rhoads points to the United States where, in some states, the commissioning couple can sue the surrogate to recover costs if the surrogate continues with a pregnancy against the couple’s wishes.

I repeat, sickening. Such contracts should be voided by public policy outlawing surrogacy for pay. I mean, if this isn’t human trafficking, what is it?

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