This article has completely changed my view on surrogacy

[IGaveSoManySigns]

Archive.ph link due to the original being behind a paywall

<a class="break-all" href="https://archive.ph/2025.09.04-181120/www.wired.com/story/the-baby-died-whose-fault-is-it-surrogate-pregnancy/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://archive.ph/2025.09.04-181120/www.wired.com/story/the-baby-died-whose-fault-is-it-surrogate-pregnancy/

I cannot believe how crazy the “intended” mother sounds. I used to believe there wasn’t an issue with surrogacy but now I feel it should be banned. Wow!

There’s another party who can’t consent!

I read the article and tbh I’m absolutely appalled for the surrogate. Hundreds of thousands of dollars of medical bills in her name, being vilified all over the internet. She could of died and her poor son would be without a mother. I hope it’s widely read I don’t think surrogates are properly informed of the risks.

That annoys me so much when gay men make this into homophobia. No, I would hate it just as much if you were straight. And plenty of these couples are straight. Sorry that doesn’t fit your narrative.

Grrrrr.

The IP in this story are crazy. The poor surrogate. That woman needs to be committed.

Bi's husband needs to have her sectioned, she's seriously mentally unwell! Poor Smith and her son! Her life has been taken over and ruined by this obsessive, entitled, literally crazy woman. This is a perfect tale to show any woman who considers being a surrogate.

Her doctor needs to increase her dose of antipsychotics as they clearly aint working!

It’s terrifying isn’t it?!

I already thought it should be banned on the grounds of exploitation and human trafficking but that article is absolutely horrific. So many factors I had never even considered.

I remember how horrified I was when I first read about the Indian Baby Farms. Thank goodness the law was changed.

The trouble is that in the US, money trumps all (no pun intended), so I very much doubt that the law will change much, if at all, over there.

This is the thing. It's always the rich using a poorer woman.

And the reality is that pregnancy and giving birth are dangerous. Women die giving birth, it's not a risk free process.

I saw and commented on the Facebook snippet. I couldn't believe how it was presented as such a wonderful thing. Josie and Rylan utterly gushing over two evil blokes who had not a care for the miscarriage, the two used women or the baby!

You didn’t think there was an issue with selling and buying babies? If you offered one for sale post birth there would be outrage. Offer one pre birth it’s all good……and the fact that companies in the USA are incentivising employees to rent wombs instead of take the pesky time off themselves….the whole system is wrong. Babies bought from others for convenience should never have been a thing.

I agree. We don’t take kittens away from cats too soon but they’ll completely ignore the attachment bonds of a human baby. It started off with maids being used so rich men could get their heirs and now it’s anyone with enough money using someone who clearly needs the money.

It’s more sickening when you know they’re going to become Instagram content to make the parents look good and their existence is going to generate more deals for them. Give it 5 minutes and they’ll be all over the place giving their profound parenting advice.

There is something very wrong with Cindy Bi.

Very, very wrong. I don’t know how she ignores that she could end up in prison

It certainly highlights that this is the buying and selling of babies. The women don’t matter at all. I know of someone who has two children born this way, he chose a specific country for the mothers because ‘it was the cheapest’.

Surrogacy should be illegal .

The most interesting thing I found was that the placenta is the biological parents dna. I never really thought about it - but I guess I assumed that it was the mother’s dna as it was an organ. That explains why there is 7 times higher risk of complications. The mother has foreign dna planted in her.

Cindy bi needs to be sectioned.

I read the wired article last night. It is worth the very long read.

The featured intended parent mother is completely unhinged. She made it her mission to destroy the life of the surrogate when the pregnancy ended in tragedy.

It highlights some specific medical complications of surrogate pregnancies. The genetic incompatibility makes them riskier. The placenta is also from the genetic parents so any related health problems come from their health history, not the surrogates health history.

Then it layers in the legal power imbalance that exists if the relationship between intended parent and gestational parent breaks down. The intended parents can stop paying and have to be sued to fulfill their end of the bargain. The woman carrying the baby can’t stop.

I knew surrogacy was bad on principle, but this article just lays it bare. It unfortunately uses one woman to be the villain to make its point. She is a villain though, there is no escaping that classification.

I know that the US is litigious but I really hope that any further cases against Smith are tossed out. I reckon Bi should have to pay medical bills too as only not covered due to her allegations of fraud. I suspect Smith doesn’t have strength or resources to legally challenge this though.

I’m not against it per-se, as I believe it is an extension of a woman’s reproductive rights and isn’t always about manipulation and money. For example, I would have carried a child for my sister if she was unable, as she would have for me. I do agree, however, that where there is an imbalance in the relationships it can be very difficult for all involved. There should be no payment allowed, the “expenses” part of it is definitely open to abuse.

I knew a woman who was a surrogate twice back in the 80s. She had been in a documentary at the time as it was a relatively new phenomenon. The whole story was painted at a lovely, altruistic act by a kind stranger with a grateful recipient of two healthy babies, and everyone was playing happy families. I met this woman about a decade after it and her mental health was absolutely shot. She bore massive resentment for how she was treated, the relationship had soured almost as soon as the second child was born, and she had ended up having to leave the area to avoid seeing this family. Obviously I only have her story but she was quite unstable. This is the story that is never told.

Surrogacy is so cruel to the child. We treat puppies and kittens better
Why do we suddenly have to pretend the mother,baby bond is not the most important relationship to the child.
I say this as an adopter. Adoption is an unfortunate necessity but we should not create children who are going to lose their mother for financial gain. The buying and selling of babies and the exploitation of poor women sickens me

Surrogacy is so cruel to the child. We treat puppies and kittens better
Why do we suddenly have to pretend the mother,baby bond is not the most important relationship to the child.
I say this as an adopter. Adoption is an unfortunate necessity but we should not create children who are going to lose their mother for financial gain. The buying and selling of babies and the exploitation of poor women sickens me

Sorry. I have no idea why that posted twice

Commercial Surrogacy disgusts me. It should be globally banned but no one is going to be banning a $5bn business in the US.

I will never forget all the poor surrogate babies that got stuck due to Covid lockdown - there were some appalling stories.

The world we live in is morally bankrupt. I believe this some women see an “easy” way to make money and make another woman’s dream of motherhood come true. It’s never, ever a good idea

Wow, that is unbelievable!

Cindy is totally unhinged.

Two women, complete strangers, both almost lost their lives to give HER children.

One is now infertile from having to have an hysterectomy and the other had to give birth to a dead baby after spending weeks away from her child in hospital and Cindi is hellbent on trying to financially, professionally, socially and psychologically ruin her.

She considers herself the victim?

The woman is evil, serious considerations should be taken on her fitness to be a mother to the child she did obtain through surrogacy, and she must be barred from obtaining another surrogate.

I dearly hope Rebecca Smith has legal support to get justice against this woman for her medical bills, defamation of character and compensation for what she’s put her through, and Cindi is ruined.