Surrogate couple filmed without permission on reality TV and humiliated by comments about her body

[Kokeshi123]

variety.com/2018/biz/news/flipping-out-bravo-trent-1202844060/

Wow.

According to the suit, the producers agreed to that condition, but then filmed it surreptitiously from behind a curtain. Neither she nor her doctor were aware that the cameras were rolling as the baby was born. She can be heard on the show screaming in pain, and according to the suit her blurred-out vagina is shown on screen.

Trent said she was unaware the birth had been filmed until well after it had aired, when a business associate informed her of it at a networking event. She then watched clips online, and was humiliated and distraught.

The gestational surrogate was bringing a child into the world for a TV celebrity couple Jeff Lewis and Gage Edward. His comment on Twitter in response to this has been "I guess we won’t be using her again" (yes, really).

twitter.com/JLJeffLewis/status/1006945374865539072

I am fine with properly-regulated altruistic surrogacy (expenses-only), but cases like this may perhaps draw our attention to the problems that can occur with commercial surrogacy.

Among the comments 'she was a hired employee plain and simple nothing more nothing less'

An example as to why surrogacy for not altruistic reasons is deeply problematic for women.

And the implication is that the reason the surrogate is suing is because she had apparently not removed her public hair! Unbelievable really.

Oh I see from the clip someone put on twitter that the celeb actually commented on the appearance of her public area in his TV show. That is just so crass. again demonstrating how little value they put on the woman who enabled them to have a child.

I have serious issues about surrogacy. Women's bodies are directly being used by men, like we're objects.

This is how men view women and this is why surrogacy shouldn't be allowed except only few situations.

I had to name change for this but this situation is one of the many reasons I don't believe in gestational surrogacy, and think they should be outlawed everywhere. I feel for infertile couples (gay or straight) I am unable to conceive myself so understand the pain, but you can't buy a women's body to bear you a child and treat it as a "service". And it always seems to be males who act out the worse in these situations. Very sad for all involved.

I saw this earlier too. I cannot express how angry it makes me...
Men using a woman, belittling her sacrifice and publicly humiliating her. It makes me despairingly sad to think of them raising a female child.

I cannot see commercial surrogacy as anything but abhorrent - a woman isn't an industrial womb, being pregnant isn't a service you can buy, a baby isn't a product.

Aaaargh.

Oh. Wow.

That’s a HIPAA violation, right there.

I hope they get raked over the coals.

I can see why someone might be a surrogate for a loved sister or daughter.

I cannot see how you could treat the person who made your child for you so utterly contemptuously. With so little respect. It's repulsive. And yes, I think it's a serious feminist issue.

How many women hating people were involved in making that TV show? I hope they all lose their jobs over this.

I feel sick reading that. That woman must be devastated that she gave so much of herself for them, for them to treat her so awfully and with such little respect.

And they had a daughter That poor little girl is going to grow up with that as her male role models.

God men really do hate us don't they.

They think we are put on this earth to service their needs.

I have witnessed some revolting misogyny from gay men, but I think this is the worst. I hope there is a serious backlash to this repellant male.

I agree completely, this is awful.

I'm sure this horrrible man would have no problem in seeing women described in legislation as gestators.

Revolting exploitation of the woman

Women's bodies are directly being used by men, like we're objects.

Yes. This is why I find surrogacy deeply disturbing.

God that’s horrible on so many levels. Deeply disturbing and I am appalled by the complete disregard for her as a person. Just rent a womb, bosh, job done. Urgh.

He is disgusting. I am deeply conflicted about surrogacy but the cases like this make me tend towards believing it should not be permitted on a commercial basis. This couple really hates women.

“If I was a surrogate, and I had known there was going to be an audience, I probably would have waxed,” Lewis said on the broadcast. “And that was the shocking part for Gage. I don’t think Gage had ever seen a vagina, let alone one that big.”

Fucking hell.

I am absolutely against commercial surrogacy, and things like this are a good reminder of why.

I am totally against surrogacy expect perhaps in a few altruistic cases e.g. between sisters

Whilst I think same sex marriage was great achievement overall it does concern me that increased commercialised surrogacy is going to be an unforeseen consequence to the detriment of women.

His dd will see this one day and his lack of thought for her demonstrates imo that he is not fit to parent a child.
Do social services not have involvement in surrogacy arrangements, as they would adoption. This family needs intervention to ensure best interests of the child.

I would never have been a surrogate for anyone other than close family.
I don't think having a baby should be a right and examples like this show the potential for abuse with surrogacy.
Having said that as someone who works in health i don't understand how a film crew could have been in the birthing room unless the woman and all the staff had given consent. If they were just supposed to be filming ultrasounds then why were they in the birthing room? That aspect of it makes it sound more as though she had consented to the filming then changed her mind when she saw it.

Oh god how fucking horrible. Another case of men thinking money means they own a woman wholly.

Absolutely repugnant. Vile, vile misogyny. How can anyone display such contempt for the person who has carried their child?

This totally disgusting. To be honest, the person I feel sorriest for is the little girl that they are going to be raising. If they have such a warped view of women, how on earth is she going to end up. They'll probably have her tanned and waxed as soon as she hits puberty, if not before!

Personally I find commercial surrogacy (ie buying a woman's body) more disturbing than prostitution not least becoI dislike children being conceived with the intention to separate them their birth mother. I am not going to comment on an individual case which is sub judice but, if we are going to allow commercial surrogacy, we need a very strong legal framework to protect women and the resulting children.

That is disgusting. Women hating idiots. And more women hating idiots enabling these comments footage to be aired! That poor little girl, growing up with those twisted parents. Who show the woman who carried and birthed her such little respect and gratitude. Fucking hell, this makes me so angry.