The news of "surrogacy abandonment" by Su Le, a female star of the times weekly, has once again made surrogacy a hot topic of public discussion
The so-called surrogacy refers to the process of implanting an in vitro fertilized egg into a surrogate mother's uterus after it forms an embryo, and the surrogate mother completes the pregnancy and delivery on behalf of others
It is a kind of artificial assisted reproduction technology
Surrogacy in China has always been in a gray area, which is easy to cause a series of moral, ethical, social and legal problems
However, in some overseas and domestic countries, surrogacy has been legalized and even formed a mature industrial chain
For example, most states in the United States, Russia, Ukraine and Georgia
All agreements, procedures, drugs, etc
concerning commercial surrogacy in these regions are protected by national laws
In recent years, many wealthy Chinese have been dissatisfied with having children in the United States
Their new goal is to find an American female surrogate
In addition to sound laws and superior medical conditions, it is also because children born in the United States have American citizenship and can help their parents obtain a green card when they reach the age of 21
At present, there are no conclusive statistics on the number of Chinese surrogacy in the United States
However, relevant intermediaries are convinced that the demand in this regard has been increasing
American surrogacy agencies and fertility clinics have noticed this business opportunity and have set up Chinese versions of their websites and hired staff who can speak Chinese
"Americans are big and strong, so they are more suitable for giving birth
If you choose a surrogate mother with dark skin, don't worry, your baby's skin will still be as white as snow
" According to the New York Times, a surrogate agency advertised this
There are different laws in different states
After watching the American TV series friends, I may be impressed by a plot: Phoebe helped her own brother surrogate and gave birth to triplets
The plot took place in about 1998 of the 20th century, when surrogacy in individual states in the United States had been legalized
Now, after years of development, the surrogacy industry in the United States is relatively mature, and most states legislate to allow surrogacy
There are also many American stars who use surrogacy to become parents, such as Robert DeNiro, Ricky Martin, Sarah Jessica Parker, neilpatrick and Celine Dion
According to the updated data, as of January 2021, 47 states in the United States can carry out surrogacy
See the following figure for details: dark green state: surrogacy is legal and has perfect legal provisions and protection
Light green states: surrogacy is allowed, but it will be limited by some factors
Some extra legal procedures are required after the child is born
Yellow states: surrogacy is not prohibited, but it should be handled with caution
There may be some risks of legal judgment in the future
Orange state: the law says that the surrogacy agreement is invalid, but surrogacy activities can be carried out in this state, and subsequent laws are required to implement complex agreements
Red states: surrogacy is prohibited by law
At present, only Nebraska, Michigan and Louisiana have banned surrogacy
In Nevada and Colorado, which Zheng Shuang chose, commercial surrogacy is legal
Nevada's relevant laws were updated in 2013
The new laws allow anyone with marital status, gender or sexual orientation to apply for surrogate parents
In addition, the new law also provides legal protection for those who help with eggs, sperm and embryos
Although the relevant laws in Colorado are not as complete as those in Nevada, parents can generally obtain birth certificates after the birth of their children
It is worth noting that in some states, such as North Carolina and Alabama, even though the surrogate mother has no biological genetic relationship with the baby, it is also regarded as the mother of the child
In this case, the biological parents must adopt their children through legal procedures after birth
Surrogacy agencies, large and small, have spread all over the United States, and some NGO organizations and websites providing surrogacy services have also emerged
The new Yorker magazine once mentioned an NGO called growingfamilies, which claims that its main purpose is to bring together surrogates, helpers and families who choose surrogacy services, provide relevant help and information, and promote follow-up communication
The reporter of times weekly inquired that the website also specifically listed legal surrogacy institutions and hospitals in various countries around the world
These institutions specialize in the recruitment, matching and management of surrogates, and also provide relevant eggs or sperm to help
The website growingfamilies recommended 32 surrogate agencies in the United States, including 18 in California
The fact that California has so many surrogacy agencies is also related to its laws and policies
As early as 1993, surrogacy was legal in California
In addition, California law has no restrictions on surrogacy demanders such as heterosexual partners, same-sex partners, unmarried men and women
It is a larger commercial surrogacy state in the United States
Screenshot of growingfamilies website as for the cost of surrogacy in the United States, the public cost of a surrogacy plan ranges from 90000 (about 580000 yuan) to 130000 US dollars (about 840000 yuan), depending on the institutions and the contents of the surrogacy contract
The composition of the basic cost of surrogacy in the United States
If sperm donation and egg donation are required, the cost will be increased
The price of helping eggs is about 1
50000 US dollars (about 97000 yuan), and the cost of artificial reproduction is 10000 US dollars (about 65000 yuan)
Some families are eager to have children and hope that the surrogate mother will accept one or more embryos to increase the chances of pregnancy
The cost will also increase
Surrogate mothers in the United States will earn between 55000 (about 350000 yuan) and 85000 US dollars (about 550000 yuan) for their children
Another NGO website menhavingbabies mainly provides surrogacy support for gay men
The website also ranks surrogacy agencies and hospitals in the United States
Goldensurrogacy, No
1, is located in Illinois
The average cost of surrogacy reached $128900
The more expensive circulesurrogacy costs an average of $157400 for surrogacy, while the cheaper artparenting agency costs $99400
According to Reuters, if a Chinese connects with an American surrogate agency through a Chinese intermediary to find an American female surrogate, the basic offer is $120000 to $200000 (about 780000 to $1
3 million), plus air tickets and other expenses, which is equivalent to $300000 (about $1
94 million)
Although the price is not cheap, the intermediary said that the cost of finding a surrogate and making their children an American is lower than that of investing in immigrants to the United States
CNN also pointed out that these Chinese who go to the United States for surrogacy and child seeking usually hold tourist visas
Most of them choose to go to California because the local surrogacy industry is mature and the relevant surrogacy procedures are relatively simple, making it easier to apply for birth certificates for their children
Although the surrogate mothers in a California institution have a mature surrogate industry chain, they will also encounter some embarrassing cultural differences in the process of surrogacy in the United States
The staff of American surrogacy agencies said that they often hope to establish a personal relationship between the client and the surrogate mother
However, most clients from China believe that surrogacy is just a commercial transaction and require confidentiality
