Media Misconceptions about Surrogacy

Many celebrities such as Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, Andy Cohen, Gabrielle Union, and Dwayne Wade are welcoming a new baby via surrogacy. With more and more celebrities using surrogacy, the practice has become a popular topic in the media. Every now and then, there are articles in USA Today, Insider, and other news websites talking about stars who have had children through surrogacy using a Gestational Surrogate. As reproductive medicine continues to advance, having a child via surrogacy process is becoming normal in the US and all around the world. For the Hopeful Parents using a surrogacy agency in San Diego, California, it is now a lot easier to find a Surrogate Mother with the qualities they are looking for.

As the Best Surrogacy Agency in San Diego, CA, we encourage the surrogacy process using a Gestational Surrogate as a good option for Intended Parents who are finding it difficult to get pregnant naturally. However, that is not how the mainstream media portrays it. Many of the media has now started to point out some positive things about surrogacy on famous television shows and films. However, there are many things the media is getting wrong about surrogacy.

What the media gets wrong about surrogacy and finding a Surrogate Mother

Here are some examples of times the media was wrong when discussing surrogacy and how it works:

1. Not talking about the happy families made through surrogacy

Surrogates, Intended Parents, and the babies welcomed into this world are all real people. A lot of people have added a new member to their families through surrogacy and are happy with the outcomes. However, the media focuses more on the occasional sad-ending surrogacy journey or one where things don’t work out as the Intended Parents had planned. Articles discussing the dangers of surrogacy are misleading to a common person. Moreover, parents who are proud of their wonderful families created through surrogacy with the help of a Gestational Surrogate, also find them hurtful.

2. Sensationalizing tragedy rather than making a positive impact 

We expect journalists to report things as they really are. So, it’s heartbreaking each time we read in the newspaper that a certain family was unable to take the surrogacy baby their home country after his/her birth. It is also heartbreaking when we find incidents where a Gestational Surrogate doesn’t want to give the baby to the rightful Parents after childbirth.

Of course, we are not saying that all of these stories are untrue. But, we think they could be used as an opportunity to teach Hopeful Parents as well as other people about surrogacy and why it’s important to do research. We advise all our Intended Parents, Egg Donors, and Surrogate Mothers to investigate all the available options. Also, learn about the prospective surrogacy agencies before arriving at a decision. Research is undoubtedly one of the most important steps in the process of commencing a surrogacy journey. It is a fact mainstream media tends to overlook. Instead, they focus on the heartbreaking stories where little to no research took place before the surrogacy contract was signed. Unfortunately, those journeys rarely end well. 

Imagine if each article about a tragic surrogacy story talked about how a lot of families have undergone successful, wonderful journeys. Maybe changes would occur, like a call for insurance firms to cover certain aspects of surrogacy. That would make surrogacy financially accessible to thousands of Hopeful Couples who are unable to have babies on their own and can’t afford the cost of surrogacy.

3. Not discussing the real motivations women find out to Become a Surrogate

A lot of articles don’t talk about the selflessness behind the decision to become a Surrogate. The women who choose to become Surrogates with Physician Surrogacy, the best surrogacy agency in San Diego, are simply amazing.

The media only tends to focus on the compensation received by the Surrogates. However, there are a lot of steps between considering becoming a Gestational Carrier and finding a match with Parents to become a Surrogate Mother. Most of the women who arrived at this selfless decision are motivated by personal experiences. They found the inspiration when they saw someone close struggle to get pregnant. Some women even choose to become a Surrogate in order to help members of the LGBT community. 

4. Not mentioning the importance of the screening process to find a Surrogate Mother

It’s better to work with an agency partly because of their strict surrogate screening process for Surrogates. A lot of factors go in before admitting a Surrogate into agency surrogacy programs. And, the media seems to forget that every agency is different. At Physician‘s Surrogacy, the Nation’s Only OB-Managed Surrogacy surrogacy agency located in San Diego, we check each applicant’s background, support system, physical health, mental health, as well as their financial situation before proceeding with the program. We also evaluate each applicant’s drive and motivation for wanting to become a Surrogate. 

Additionally, fertility clinics set stringent requirements for Surrogates to ensure the health and well-being of the Gestational Carrier. Stories paint a distorted reality when they talk about complications that occurred during pregnancy without telling readers that the Surrogate wouldn’t have met basic agency requirements. 

5. Reporting traditional surrogacy as if it is the standard 

Traditional surrogacy – a surrogacy arrangement in which the gestational carrier conceives through artificial insemination. She donates her own biological material in the process. It used to be the standard more than ten years ago. Nowadays, only a few agencies carry out traditional surrogacy. Today, most Intended Parents find surrogacy process involving a Gestational Surrogate much more preferable as the carrier is not genetically related to the baby.

Articles talking about traditional surrogacy don’t usually tell the difference. Moreover, they hardly let readers know how rare this type of arrangement has become, and report traditional surrogacy more often. TV shows, such as Handmaid’s Tale, try to show people what forced traditional surrogacy is like, and this is some people’s first exposure to surrogacy. This creates a negative impression of what surrogacy is! Moreover, it paints a wrong picture of the whole surrogacy industry in the minds of Intended Parents. Although TV shows like Superstore have a more lighthearted tone, they show traditional surrogacy between friends. But, we need to remember that this rarely occurs in the surrogacy industry.

6. Reporting on independent surrogacies as if they’re the standard 

Independent surrogacy arrangements can also go as planned. However, a lot of Intended Parents and Surrogates prefer to work with an agency. It makes sure they have protection measures every single step of the way. Hopeful Parents usually choose to work with a surrogacy agency to protect themselves emotionally and legally from the various complicated processes. To name a few, the matching process, embryo transfer, conception, delivery, and taking the baby home after birth. Moreover, agencies ensure that surrogate health requirements are fulfilled. Independent surrogacies are not as common as agency-assisted surrogacies. Still, media usually covers stories of independent surrogacy. This generates a wrong impression that getting a Surrogate Mother via online ads or referrals is the norm. 

7. Using “distasteful” language regarding Surrogacy and Surrogate Mothers

Some headlines use words such as “womb for rent” or call Gestational Surrogates “breeders.” This hurtful language is not only disrespectful but also inconsiderate to these wonderful women. Surrogates are selfless, compassionate women who choose to help other families actualize their dreams of having children. These media reports presume that these women become Surrogates only for the money or that they have misinformation about the whole surrogacy process. The fact is, surrogacy agencies don’t allow women to become Surrogates if they are financially unstable. Moreover, women who want to become Surrogates do thorough research before proceeding.

Conclusion

Want to learn how the surrogacy process can help you become parents and complete your family? Are you trying to find a perfect match in your Surrogate Mother? Please reach out to Physician’s Surrogacy agency, San Diego, California, and schedule a complimentary consultation.