AIBU? 72 year old couple get parental rights for surrogate born baby

[OhHolyJesus]

There’s been a lot of coverage this week about this case that came before the UK family court.

A couple, both aged 72, commissioned a woman in California to have a baby for them, it seems to replace their adult son who died in his mid-twenties.

Though they say this new baby boy isn’t a replacement, they deliberately arranged for him to be born as he was conceived from a woman who donated her eggs (with all the risks that entails, and the likely payment) and the sperm of the commissioning father.

They didn’t share their plans with family but asked for friends of their adult son and a 52 year old niece in the family, to be guardians should (when?) they die.

The boy was 14 months old at the time of the court case last month so they embarked on this plan aged 70+ and no one lives forever. This toddler will likely see the deaths of one or both of his primary carers (though they have a full time nanny 5 days a week) by the time he reaches secondary school.

AIBU to think there should be age limits on surrogacy and 72 is too old?

<a class="break-all" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20250527213411/www.thetimes.com/uk/healthcare/article/couple-in-seventies-win-right-to-be-parents-of-surrogate-baby-fxzxb83v2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20250527213411/www.thetimes.com/uk/healthcare/article/couple-in-seventies-win-right-to-be-parents-of-surrogate-baby-fxzxb83v2

I'm totally against surrogacy.

The hospital who allowed this should be closed down... And the Dr struck off.
Plus surrogacy is disgusting..

Surrogacy should be banned entirely.
Adults wishes do not trump babies rights.
Adopt, foster or get on with your life in other ways if you cannot have a child.

It's shameful that the courts allowed this.
Buying humans should be illegal.
Exploiting a woman to pay her to endanger her life and health to create a baby to be bought should be illegal.
The couple who did this are by definition morally bankrupt and unfit parents.
The reason this has been allowed to happen is that the misogynist patriarchy is alive and well and it's a total myth that women have now won equality. We are second class service-animals if the system has to choose between our wellbeing vs the desires of a man.

So they have effectively bypassed the laws in the U.K. around surrogacy and been allowed to?

The height of selfish irresponsibility.

There are countless teens needing foster care.

Why?

Totally this

I don’t think there should be any age limit on surrogacy, because I don’t think surrogacy should be allowed ever. Ever.

Progressive societies make a big fuss ( correctly) about the evils of slavery, but seem to think it is fine to buy and sell unborn babies. Grim.

Christ on a bike. There are reasons it's biologically impossible to have a baby at that age. What selfish people.

And they are experienced with teens. They could be so valuable as fosterers.

I’m not totally against surrogacy under certain circumstances, but bloody hell, this is madness and totally unfair to the child!

This is bloody awful! What selfish selfish arseholes

You are unreasonable to imply that any surrogacy is acceptable. All human trafficking is wrong, cases like this may be extreme examples that illustrate it best but it is all immoral and not in the best interests of the child.

Surrogacy starts with a loss for babies. Loss of their birth mother. Loss of their genetic mother if a different egg was used.

Surrogacy focuses on adults wants rather than a child’s needs

Surrogacy is human trafficking.

Surrogacy exploits poor women & reduces them to body parts.

Surrogacy is always wrong

It’s many kinds of wrong 😑

Once you’ve allowed the buying and selling of human babies it seems a bit horse bolty/stable doory to put ‘rules’ in place

Surrogacy is abhorrent & should be banned. These people should be ashamed of themselves. Poor child.

Just monstrous selfishness.

It's shameful that the courts allowed this.

What else should the courts have done?

I agree that having a child at that age is monumentally selfish, but it's too late to prevent it; the child is here. The courts have to make the decision based on his best interests in the situation before them.. What would that be?

I can't be bothered to read the article but why were they in court? Did the birth mother want to keep the baby?

They are being v unreasonable

Because it's human trafficking.

True, this does add some extra selfish though

Selfish decision, no thought at all about the child and their happiness. Shame on the surrogate to have agreed.

In all cases?

What if the egg & sperm are from bio parents and surrogate needed to just grow baby ?

what if surrogate is family member?