Legal Surrogacy Bill Has Major Drawbacks
Originally published as: "Commentary: Legal Surrogacy Bill Has Major Drawbacks," Albany Times Union, June 10, 2019.
On May 29, the state Legislature held hearings on a bill to legalize commercial surrogacy. The bill is being touted by some — including Gov. Andrew Cuomo — as an LGBT rights bill and a successor to marriage equality. But that's not what it is.
Rather, the "Child-Parent Security Act" is a proposal to protect contractual and commercial relationships for people who can afford to pay a fee, typically $75,000 to $100,000. It is designed to limit the rights of those who will serve as surrogates, while lawyers, reproductive medicine doctors, and clinics get rich. It will make New York the seventh state in the nation to permit and regulate surrogacy.