Surrogates Speak Out Amid National Surrogacy Debate

Surrogates Share Insights Amid Controversy

In recent weeks, surrogacy has gained significant media attention, particularly following Lena Dunham’s announcement of her journey with a surrogate and the ongoing legal issues involving McKenna West. West, a gestational surrogate, fled to Texas to avoid a requested abortion after a congenital heart defect was discovered in the fetus she was carrying.

The Guardian interviewed several surrogates across the United States to gather their thoughts on the heightened public discourse regarding both compensated and commercial surrogacy.

Personal Journeys into Surrogacy

Liggia Spicer, a 34-year-old from upstate New York, was inspired to become a surrogate after learning about a friend who sought a surrogate following a battle with cancer and a hysterectomy. “I probably did about two years of research before I turned to my husband and was like: ‘OK I think I want to do this,’” she recounted.

Spicer partnered with the agency ConceiveAbilities, where she underwent a rigorous screening process that included background checks and psychological evaluations. Most surrogacy programs require that candidates have previously given birth.

The agency also provided her with legal assistance to draft a surrogacy contract, which outlines the rights and responsibilities of both the surrogate and the intended parents, covering aspects such as medical expenses and the surrogate’s autonomy during the pregnancy.

Legal and Ethical Concerns

West’s situation has sparked discussions about the level of bodily autonomy afforded to surrogates. By refusing to terminate her pregnancy, West breached her surrogacy contract and subsequently sought conservatorship over the child. The U.S. Supreme Court has opted not to intervene in her case.

“As surrogates, we do things that we may not do in our own pregnancies, but at the end of the day, it’s not our child,” Spicer noted. “As long as what we’re being asked is safe to do.”

Building Trust with Intended Parents

Kristy Miller, a 38-year-old two-time surrogate from Indianapolis, also worked with ConceiveAbilities. She emphasized the importance of establishing a trusting relationship with intended parents, stating, “I didn’t want to feel micromanaged. I didn’t want someone to be kind of dictating what I ate every day, or how I took care of myself.”

Critics of surrogacy argue that it commodifies women’s bodies. One commenter on Vogue’s Instagram post regarding Dunham’s essay remarked, “Let’s not normalize buying humans.”

Dunham has openly discussed her fertility struggles, which include a diagnosis of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and advanced endometriosis, leading to a total hysterectomy at 31.

“It’s important that everyone should decide what happens to their body, and I wanted to get pregnant to help another family. That’s my decision,” Spicer asserted.

Understanding the Surrogacy Process

Christine S, a 38-year-old former gestational surrogate from New York, carried a child for a same-sex male couple in 2025. She expressed concern that many critics lack a comprehensive understanding of the surrogacy process, stating, “I think it’s just [that] they don’t understand enough about it.”

Christine received $45,000 for her services, alongside coverage for her medical and legal expenses, while Spicer was compensated $67,000 throughout her pregnancy.

Continuing the Journey

Kimber Alston, a 36-year-old surrogate from Texas, is currently pregnant with her fifth surrogate child, having begun her surrogacy journey in 2018. She has built strong relationships with the intended parents and receives updates about the children she has carried.

“What keeps me going is being able to help people have something that they couldn’t have otherwise,” Alston shared.

Many surrogates highlighted a common misconception: that they might become emotionally attached to the babies they carry. “I have never known a surrogate who felt like ‘mom’ to the baby [they were] carrying,” Miller remarked.

Spicer added a note of humor to the experience, advising prospective surrogates to maintain a light-hearted approach: “You have to have a sense of humor. You have to just take things on the chin and laugh it off.”

Source Reference: ‘I wanted to help another family’: four surrogates on how they feel about the surrogacy discourse