15th September 2014 | by MFC Team
Gay couple welcomes triplets via surrogate including daughter with Down’s syndrome
We have been inundated recently with recent stories in the media of surrogacy “gone wrong.” However, there are many successful surrogacy stories that don’t get the same attention. One such story is of a gay couple from Quebec, Canada who returned home with all three of their triplets who were born to a surrogate in Mexico, despite one of the triplets having Down’s syndrome. The couple said that they never considered asking their surrogate to abort the little girl, and couldn’t have imagined leaving her behind when they returned home with her two brothers.
This story highlights the issue of the unexpected outcomes in surrogacy, and the need for both surrogate and intended parents to discuss and agree in advance on details such as genetic testing and possible termination of a fetus with genetic abnormalities or birth defects. These issues are best addressed in surrogacy contracts drawn up by lawyers. However, these decisions are not easy ones, especially given that the intended parents may have already spent a significant amount of time and money trying to conceive on their own before turning to surrogacy. The issue is even more complicated in the case of multiples. Some intended parents, like the parents of the triplets, decide to continue the pregnancy despite the risk of abnormalities. Others decide to ask the surrogate to terminate the pregnancy. The surrogate’s needs and values regarding abortion are an important consideration. In the case of the Quebec couple, they discussed in advance what they wanted to do if any genetic abnormalities were discovered, and agreed with the surrogate, that she would continue with the pregnancy.
The couple is thrilled with their daughter’s development thus far:
“She’s a perfect baby…She is walking, she is trying to say a few words. … She is a very affectionate baby.”
Learn more about surrogacy and the importance of legal contracts here and here.
Read more about the story here.
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