Alana S. Newman, “The Mother-Free Money Tree,” Public Discourse, January 16, 2014.

URL: www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2014/01/11645/

Alana Newman argues that we should oppose gestational surrogacy on the grounds that it is an extension of the commodification of women and children. Newman describes how reproductive tourism to the U.S.—to avoid stringent regulations in their home countries and/or to acquire U.S. citizenship for the resulting children—is a booming business, and relates her experience attending a conference sponsored by the American Association for Adoption and Reproductive Technologies Attorneys (AAARTA). Newman concludes that the fertility industry must be regulated to protect the dignity of “donor-conceived children” and women, including potential surrogates.