{"id":19114,"date":"2019-10-22T12:46:42","date_gmt":"2019-10-22T20:46:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/?post_type=blog&p=19114"},"modified":"2021-05-18T13:42:17","modified_gmt":"2021-05-18T20:42:17","slug":"surrogacy-facts-and-myths-how-much-do-you-know","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/blog\/surrogacy-facts-and-myths-how-much-do-you-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Surrogacy Facts and Myths: How Much Do You Know?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Lennlee Keep<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

In 2018, over 100 children were born in Boise, Idaho, through surrogacy. The story behind this unique baby boom is explored in the Independent Lens<\/em> documentary Made in Boise<\/strong><\/em>, an intimate look at how surrogates and parents are coming together to create new bonds and unique families.<\/span><\/p>\n

Surrogacy is widely misunderstood and stigmatized by myths, so here are a few of the facts to address questions you may have after watching the film.<\/span><\/p>\n

Types of Surrogacy<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are two types of surrogacy that represent the genetic relationship between the surrogate and the child.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Gestational surrogacy<\/b>: A woman carries a pregnancy that was created with another woman\u2019s egg and the intended father or donor\u2019s sperm. The surrogate shares no genetic material with the baby. All of the women <\/span>Made in Boise<\/span><\/i> were gestational surrogates.<\/span><\/p>\n

*A gestational surrogate is not \u201cgiving away their baby.\u201d So Nicole didn\u2019t give her baby away to Shannon, Nicole was carrying Shannon\u2019s baby. <\/span><\/p>\n

Traditional surrogacy<\/b>: The surrogate\u2019s egg is used to create the embryo she is carrying. A traditional surrogate is the biological mother of the baby. There are no traditional surrogates in the film.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In a traditional or a gestational surrogacy, the sperm can come from any male, donor, or intended parent.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are also two types of payment situations<\/strong> for surrogates.<\/span><\/p>\n

Altruistic surrogacy<\/b>: a woman carries a pregnancy for no compensation beyond her medical bills and direct costs associated with the pregnancy; Altruistic surrogacies can be gestational or traditional.<\/span><\/p>\n

Altruistic surrogacy seems to be more widely accepted as it is legal in many states and countries where commercial surrogacy is banned.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Commercial Surrogacy<\/b>: A woman is paid a fee for carrying a pregnancy, beyond covering her medical bills and expenses. Compensated surrogacies can be gestational or traditional.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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From Made in Boise<\/em>; photo: Crystal Kulack.<\/p><\/div>\n

State Laws<\/b><\/p>\n

Surrogacy is legal in the U.S. but not federally regulated, so the laws vary widely from state to state.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n