A surrogate mother is defined as "an adult woman who enters into an agreement to give birth to a child conceived through assisted conception for the intended parents." The couple is usually defined as intended parents who enter into an agreement that they will be parents of a child born to a surrogate mother through assisted conception, using an egg or sperm from at least one parent.1 RIGHT - Surrogacy is a right to those who are ready and able to take on the responsibility of parenting. Surrogate mothers fulfill a basic human desire. Procreation is a primitive instinct and for many people it is devastating not to be able to become parents. Surrogacy is a solution to this age-old problem. Even in the Bible, Abraham and Sarah resorted to a "surrogate mother" who fathered their son Ishmael.2 NEED - Surrogacy satisfies a need of infertile couples. 2.4 million infertile married American couples. It is estimated that one in six couples is affected by some degree of infertility. Many people marry later and delay having children. After the age of 45, approximately 95% of women are unable to conceive on their own. Surrogate mothers also fill the need for non-traditional families, including the gay and lesbian population, as well as heterosexual singles. ISSUES OF COMMERCIAL SURROGACY While compensation may not be the main reason for surrogacy, making it illegal may reduce the amount. of available surrogates Some people may refer to surrogacy as "baby selling," but surrogate mothers are not selling the baby - they are just providing a service. The professor of Medical Ethics at the University of Texas said: “Selling babies is having a baby born that is sold to another person. These are agreements made before conception even occurs where no baby exists. Second place, the genes, in the case of gestational surrogacy, are provided by the couple hiring the surrogate mother, so, in a sense, it is their genetic child." - the compensation paid to the surrogate mother is not for the child – it compensates her for her time and effort, for initiating and continuing the pregnancy, for giving birth, for accepting the risks of pregnancy and giving birth (pain, depression , sleep disorders) and the possible loss of job opportunities. This $$ is often seen as a gift to r...... middle of paper ......inancialREBUTTALChildren's reaction – did my parents really want me or “I might have had a disease”Only 1% of all surrogate mothers change their minds and want to keep the baby compared to 75% of birth mothers who change their minds in a traditional adoption. People who have fought so hard to conceive their child are probably the best candidates for being good parents, not the worst. The American Fertility Society and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have recognized infertility as a disease. The statutes developed allow the option of surrogacy only for those with a medically recognized disability. Baby M – a psychological exam showed that Mary Beth Whitehead would have trouble giving up the baby, but the agency handling the transaction didn't bother to read the report.$$$ - some agencies require their surrogate candidates have a minimum level of family income before being accepted into their program.$$$Money is a motivator just as it would be in other situations where people are paid to be surrogate parents (baby girls, daycare workers, adoptive parents and teachers in elementary schools)