FFS re. Hilaria & Alec Baldwin and normalisation of surrogacy

[PatienceVirtue]

www.etonline.com/hilaria-and-alec-baldwins-daughter-lucia-was-born-via-surrogate-161509

The Baldwins, a baby-hungry 'Spaniard' and rich Hollywood male, have had a sixth (sixth!) child six months after having their fifth. Apparently by surrogacy, well it wasn't carried by her obviously. Which means they implanted an embryo or embryos into some poor womb-holder while she was already heavily pregnant with their fifth child.

Why? FFS. I just don't understand it. Originally surrogacy was sold as solution to the utter misery of infertility and I feel a great deal of sympathy with this. But when it becomes the go-to of extremely wealthy families who already have numerous children (cf Kim Kardashian, Robbie Williams et al), then its exploitative and transactional nature is exposed.

I can't bear the way it's become so normalised to use women like ovens. Stop call it carrying a baby, like they're handbags. It's growing a baby from a microscopic dot to a newborn.

We watched a US documentary on surrogacy a while ago, and I was really really angry and upset by it.

The thought of buying a baby is so far from any moral compass.

As for Hilary Baldwin, she's got some serious mental health issues and I feel horribly sorry for those poor kids.

Hes not 70!

The current commodification of women and children is obscene. They treat it like some kind of hobby.

I can't get past anyone purposefully ordering a baby knowing it'll be torn away from its mother at birth, and knowing damn well that could cause attachment issues for their whole life, issues which they might not even be able to ever articulate let alone resolve.

@zzizzer

I can't get past anyone purposefully ordering a baby knowing it'll be torn away from its mother at birth, and knowing damn well that could cause attachment issues for their whole life, issues which they might not even be able to ever articulate let alone resolve.

I always wonder if there’s an upper limit on how old a child can be when you sell/gift it to new parents.

Alec Baldwin is 62

How many children does he have? I think this makes 7?

Hilary has made a living out of having babies, pretending to be Spanish and doing yoga pose for social media, is that right?

What a depressing story. Babies as commodities to be purchased by the wealthy.

She seems absolutely nuts.
The fake being Spanish was just wild and now this seems like they are trying to get people to forget about that by being even more crazy!!!

This is so sad, seems like having babies is some kind of hobby .I agree that she must have some serious problems in wanting to have one child after another and documenting it all on SM. Why does he actually agree to all of this is my question?

This is so odd. Did she have any of the others by a surrogate? Did the doctor get the implantation time wrong?

It is so odd - the blind item seemed to suggest that it was an insurance policy and if they arrived at roughly the same time, they'd pass them off as twins.

As ever the answer to most questions is a) money and b) because they can. It's all so insidious though because what rich famous people do inevitably influences the rest of us and becomes more mainstream. I've already noticed that the language around surrogacy is changing - people saying things like 'for future babies, we'd use a surrogate' or 'there's always surrogacy'. A detachment and commoditization.

Time and again when I hear about these surrogacy cases I am reminded that you are not supposed to separate puppies from their mothers for at least 10 weeks which is a damn sight more development time for dogs than for humans.

Yet human babies sold under surrogacy get whisked away from their mothers almost instantaneously and its not seen as the cruel abuse it is.

It sickens me 😡

I've already noticed that the language around surrogacy is changing - people saying things like 'for future babies, we'd use a surrogate' or 'there's always surrogacy'. A detachment and commoditization.

Exactly. A shift in language in mainstream media has removed 'mother' from 'surrogate' (and adjective) completely, making 'surrogate' a noun, which is isn't.

This is perhaps an upgrade from 'host' but absolutely dehumanising and we are seeing it more and more.

The U.K. Law Commission will have a draft proposal for law reform of the 1985 act due for release early next year (but I reckon it will be sooner).

Host says it more clearly though.

Som3body should wait til they are on tv and say "oh what is the word they use for host , it eludes me..... ih yes, surrogate".

I remember this lady from some years ago:

www.baby-magazine.co.uk/caprice-bourret-one-mothers-miracle/

The use of language is worrying. 'Gestational carrier'.
She also mentions this:
“We would have done it [surrogacy] in England but the laws in this country say that even though it’s your biological child, the carrier could take your child away – they have more rights than in the USA so you have to be very careful, and that’s why I went to the States,”

The carrier.
Makes it sound like a personal stylist or someone helping you with your bags at an airport.

Sick AF!

That article is awful - the way she describes the birth of the surrogate baby, it was almost like she was giving birth herself, holding her "carrier's" hand as "she popped out their first son".

I suspect Caprice didn't feel like she was popping out her second son.

Such a good point about the mother having been dropped from the phrase surrogate mother and surrogate having been turned into a noun. Language is so important and where it goes, attitudes follow.

Carrier is absolutely awful, like you've a plastic bag rather than a womb.

Nicole Kidman also used the same expression.

Both NK and CB mentioned that their doctors advised surrogacy, almost as if it were a treatment for infertility.
Would doctors really suggest this?

If NK and CB's doctors advised surrogacy, it would have been because they were both well on the wrong side of 40 when they wanted to get pregnant and turned to surrogates. Same for SJP.

Celebs do seem particularly "blessed" in being able to have babies in their 40s and 50s don't they?

Speaking as someone who was removed from their mother as a newborn, it disgusts me. I didn't even understand that attachment issues actually were a proper thing until I was in my 30s. Then it all made so much sense . Like a wise poster upthread said - I just couldn't articulate it.

Yes but both NK and SJP carried their first babies to term themselves? Its so arrogant to then wait and wait and just pay someone to do it. And dont get me started on the twin thing is that a conscious decision by all these celebs? They must have the highest multiple birth rate in the world in Hollywood.

@EachandEveryone

Yes but both NK and SJP carried their first babies to term themselves? Its so arrogant to then wait and wait and just pay someone to do it. And dont get me started on the twin thing is that a conscious decision by all these celebs? They must have the highest multiple birth rate in the world in Hollywood.

The classic boy/girl designer twins.