Michigan governor signs bill decriminalizing paid surrogacy

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) signed a bill Monday legalizing paid surrogacy, arguing the controversial practice makes it easier for people to start families.

Michigan’s Family Protection Act also provides legal protections for in vitro fertilization (IVF), which has received political attention since it was temporarily banned by an Alabama court in February.

“Decisions about whether, when, and how to have children should be up to families, doctors, and the people they love and trust, not politicians,” Whitmer said. stated in a statement. “If we want more people and families to ‘make it work’ in Michigan, we will support them with the resources they need to make these very personal, life-changing choices.” need to do it.”

“Family decisions should be yours, and my legislative partners and I are committed to protecting Michigan’s reproductive freedom and making Michigan a great place to start, raise, and grow a family. We will continue to fight tooth and nail,” she added.

The new law makes paid surrogacy illegal only in Nebraska and Louisiana. A new Michigan law allows surrogate mothers to receive compensation for giving birth to a child and gives them legal protections throughout the process. The law also requires surrogate mothers to undergo medical examinations.

Compensation for surrogacy is opposed by some conservatives, particularly religious conservatives, who argue that it exploits the act of giving birth for profit. Pope Francis said in January that the practice should be completely banned.

“I consider the practice of so-called surrogacy to be despicable, a gross violation of the dignity of women and children, taking advantage of the material needs of mothers,” he said.

Children are a gift and “never the basis of a commercial contract”, he said, calling for a global ban on surrogacy to “prohibit this practice globally”.

A similar bill in Congress to protect the IVF procedure, which also would have legalized surrogacy, was blocked by Senate Republicans earlier this year. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Mississippi) said the bill is an overreach full of “poison pills” that go far beyond ensuring access to in vitro fertilization.