Strollerderby : surrogate mother

Court Nixes Couple's Request for Dead Son's Sperm

JeanneSager — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 17:01:00 GMT

The parents of a man dead since 1998 won't be fulfilling their last minute dreams to have a grandchild - a New York court just nixed their request to use the dead man's sperm to make a baby.

Ah, common sense prevails somewhere in New York.

Mark Speranza banked sperm at a lab in 1997 before undergoing treatment for cancer; he wanted to be able to father a child if he survived the battle. Unfortunately, Speranza died in January 1998. He'd ordered the semen samples to be destroyed if he died, but his parents had filed to be allowed use of the sperm.

They wanted to impregnate a surrogate mother with their son's semen so they could become grandparents. It sounds like a storyline ripped from a recent episode of Private Practice (although, on the show, the sick kid was still alive and wanted to have a baby . . . her parents were eager for a grandchild and happy to go along with their teenage daughter getting pregnant before she died).

What's bizarre to me is the fact that this case wasn't thrown out simply because Speranza had directed his sperm to be destroyed upon his death. Apparently his request wasn't enough. Instead, a state law that requires a father provide blood tests before his stored semen is used to impregnate a surrogate played a role. Because Speranza was dead, a Manhattan judge said the family would have been violating state law.

Shouldn't a man's request of what be done with his semen be enough? After all, we reserve the right to sign up as organ donors or not - our parents can't come waltzing in after our death to announce that old cousin Charlie needs a kidney and there's a fresh set just lying there on the table. A guy couldn't be forced to have sex to make a baby, he shouldn't be forced after his death to make a baby he didn't ask for.

And what would this do to a child - to know his grandparents/custodial parents disregarded his dad's wishes to make him? It sounds like a set of people who are very sad to have lost their son - but need to realize they can't replace him with his child.

Image: CyprusIVF

52-Year-Old Delivers Twins for Her Daughter

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:23:00 GMT

Here’s a surefire way to beat empty nest syndrome: move from your home in Michigan to be near your daughter in Arizona—and act as the surrogate mother of her twin babies.

That’s what Crystal Sirignano did after her 30-year-old daughter, Kendra, was unable to conceive after several infertility surgeries and treatments. Sick of watching her daughter suffer, Crystal offered to become pregnant again at 52 years of age.

A vegetarian and the owner of a gym, Super Mom Crystal gave up working out and succumbed to her pregnancy cravings for meat. She recently made herself into a proud grandmother by delivering healthy twin babies for her daughter and son-in-law.

If there is ever an EXXTREME Motherhood Olympic competition, my money’s on Crystal getting the gold. As for Kendra and her husband, the new parents have already achieved some modest fame of the EXXTREME variety by competing in NBC's American Gladiators. I can't wait to find out what happens once the twins are old enough to eat spinach.

Image: ABC

Friends Think Depressed Surrogate Mom to 8 is Crazy

Madeline Holler — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:35:00 GMT

There are a couple of things going on in this story of a surrogate mom that are just, nicely put, very interesting. First, she is trying to get pregnant for the eighth time on behalf of someone other than herself. Wow, eight pregnancies is a lot of babies for any woman to bear. (Please don't confuse her with the surrogate mother to 12. Twelve!)

The other thing is that this mom who has made a second career as a baby-haver is 43 years old and things are getting tough and she's starting to get depressed. She wanted to bear a sibling for the little girl, Isobel, whom she gave birth to in 2006, but nine weeks in to that pregnancy -- her egg and the 51-year-old father's sperm -- she miscarried. Her family is starting to worry.

But the most striking thing for me is that this woman is not a mother. She has no children of her own!

Here's what she says about surrogacy:

"I really love being pregnant and my body is very good at it," she said. "I am very proficient at giving birth. But I still don't want children of my own, not in the slightest.

"A lot of people won't understand how I feel - but everyone's different. After seeing how happy Isobel and her parents are, I really wanted to provide them with another child so they can complete their family.

"Her parents have become my friends and I see this pregnancy as helping friends out. But this one is definitely my last. I can't keep on going for ever."

What now?

Photo: Daily Mail

Woman Steals Money From Hopeful Parents By Pretending To Be Surrogate

Kelly Mills — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 16:31:00 GMT

A South Carolina woman was arrested for scamming folks out of money and sperm. Jessica O'Donnell told prospective parents that her husband was killed in Iraq, and that she wanted to help people by being a surrogate mother. Couples all over the country sent her thousands of dollars. She even had people send sperm packed in coolers along with the money, we assume to make the whole thing more convincing. The authorities found fake I.D.s and computers and coolers in O'Donnell's home. Of course O'Donnell carried a baby for no one.

So where was her dead soldier husband? Actually alive and well and completely in on the scam. He's been arrested and charged too. This kind of scheme is extra evil because it preys on really hopeful and anxious folks, many of whom want a baby very desperately and have been trying for years to have one. It's hard enough to get to the place where you realize you will need a surrogate, and to place your trust someone and have them turn out to be a crook...Bleaugh. Evil evil evil.

Strollerderby : surrogate mother

Court Nixes Couple's Request for Dead Son's Sperm

Two Wombs, Two Babies: Mom Delivers Twins

Balloon Helps Pregnant Woman "Practice"

Grey's Anatomy Tackles Mother Vs. Baby Issue

Teen Ball Players Throw Away a Win for Child of Cancer Victim

52-Year-Old Delivers Twins for Her Daughter

Friends Think Depressed Surrogate Mom to 8 is Crazy

Woman Steals Money From Hopeful Parents By Pretending To Be Surrogate