Beth
Anderson earns extra income renting out her womb to infertile couples who dream
of becoming parents—a mutually beneficial arrangement, as she sees it. "I
really, really like being pregnant," she says. "They need help, it's something I
want do, and it's a way for me to make a little bit of extra money."
But
these types of arrangements are outlawed in many states. In Oklahoma, for
example, surrogacy contracts are considered a form of child trafficking. In
Michigan, surrogates face five years in jail and up to $50,000 in
fines.
Gestational surrogacy contracts are also against the law in New
York, but State Senator Brad Hoylman (D-27th Senate Dist.) introduced a bill
last year that would change that. And he has first hand experience with the
issue. Hoylman and his husband had to go to California to find a surrogate to
carry their daughter Silvia, who's now four.
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