Surrogacy

Surrogacy Speech

Slide one – Title:

Hi, my name is Linda. The workshop you are about to participate in is on the topic of surrogacy.

Slide two – Aims:

By the end of this workshop you will be able to describe surrogacy, understand who is involved in the surrogacy process, understand the psychological issues that may be associated with surrogacy, understand the legal issues that may be associated with surrogacy, understand the social issues that may be associated with surrogacy and acknowledge the legislation surrounding surrogacy.

Slide three – Brainstorm:

What do you already know? Take a moment to create a brainstorm or jot down anything that comes to mind when you think about surrogacy.

Slide four – What is Surrogacy?:

“Surrogacy is a form of assisted reproductive treatment (ART) in which a woman conceives and carries a child in her uterus for another person or couple, and then surrenders the child to that person or couple” (Surrogacy, 2013). Surrogacy can be split into two categories, “’altruistic’ where no money is paid to the surrogate for her/his ‘services’ (mainly in excess of necessary medical expenses) and ‘commercial’ where money is paid to the surrogates for her/his services (in excess of medical expenses)” (Banerjee, 2013).

Slide five – Who is Involved?:

There are often a number of people involved in the surrogacy process. The main parties involved are the surrogate mother and the parents of the child. Others who are involved include donors (if there are any), councillors, doctors, fertility specialists, psychologists, lawyers and IVF Australia.

Slide six – Psychological Issues:

“From the search for a surrogate through to concerns that the surrogate may not relinquish the child, the commissioning couple are faced with a number of stressors in addition to those posed by their fertility difficulties alone” (Edelmann, 2004). “The importance of counselling before, during, and after an arrangement is vital as all parties can avoid the...