I thought many times about defining and expanding a bit more about the whole concept of surrogacy but I kind of talked myself out of it. There is actually more than one reason for it; the first one being that regardless of what it means to me, which is the ultimate gift, it is for a number of reasons, a controversial topic in our society. And the second being that it is quite uncommon for a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon) to be the parent of a child conceived through surrogacy.
I want the whole world to know that I stand very firm on my believes and testimony about the truthfulness of the gospel and authority of my Church, and have not ever felt any degree of disapproval in our personal decision to pursue surrogacy in our situation. As with most important decisions in our lives, I understand the degree to which this is a personal issue that is taken to our Father in Heaven for consideration.
All that being said, allow me to define some terms for you:
Traditional Surrogacy is when the surrogate mother uses her own eggs to create the child that she is carrying for the intended parents or individual. Either the sperm of the intended father is used or donor sperm. Even though the surrogate mother has a genetic connection to the child all intentions are for her to grant parental rights of the child she is carrying to the intended parents or individual that she has created a legal agreement with prior to the start of the cycle. The child is handed over to the other party right after the birth.
Gestational Surrogacy is when the surrogate carries a pregnancy and delivers a child that is created from the egg and the sperm of the intended parents. The key to this type of surrogacy is that the gestational surrogate is not genetically related to the child and acts only as a gestational carrier for the pregnancy.
As all of you know by now our surrogacy type is the latter, gestational surrogacy.
Vanessa, a fellow LDS member and former surrogate, did an excellent job at explaining surrogacy as a moral issue within our Church on her blog here. So for lack of better words a will quote her as follows:
"Homosexuals using a Surrogate is discouraged
Single Woman using a Surrogate is discouraged
Unmarried Couples using a Surrogate is discouraged
Woman using a Surrogate simply to avoid the inconvenience of pregnancy is discouraged
People selling their eggs or sperm is discouraged
Traditional Surrogacy is discouraged (the situation in which the Surrogate uses her own egg and then gives the baby to the intended parents)
There must be a good reason why the Intended Mother cannot carry her own child. The one and only circumstance in which I believe Surrogacy to be morally acceptable is in the case of a GESTATIONAL SURROGACY. The circumstance in which the Intended Mother and Father are the biological parents of the child, and they simply need someone to grow and carry their baby. The intended parents must be heterosexual and married with a strong relationship. This is also the situation in which the Church fully supports Surrogacy"
