Too Controversial NOT To Talk About

My head just exploded!

Just look at this title and then consider it.

Parents Push Surrogate To Abort Fetus Because of Birth Defect

Ok.

You got it?

Now a few choice bites.

Here's a case that pushes all kinds of ethical boundaries: a Canadian couple who discovered that their fetus was likely to have Down's Syndrome decided that they wanted to have an abortion.  The practice of aborting fetuses because of birth defects is controversial enough, but to make matters even knottier, the fetus was being carried by a surrogate, who wanted to carry the pregnancy to term.

...

The problem is that although parents have the right to decide whether they want to raise a child with birth defects (and I would argue, have the right to abort the fetus when they are carrying their own child), the surrogate's presence adds the complication of another adult who should be given input over what happens to her body.  If the parents feel that they can't raise the child, they should not be compelled to do so simply because they were having the child with the help of a surrogate - that would, ultimately, be cruel to both the parents and the child. 

But if the surrogate is opposed to abortion for any reason, she should not be compelled to have one.  The question is whether the surrogate is then compelled to raise the child herself, and what rights the parents have.  What if the surrogate wants to give the baby up for adoption?  Are the parents obligated to help her do so - and if not, are they obligated to give her monetary support?

Read the rest here.

Whoa.

What can anyone do in this situation? Do you really want the government involved in something like this? I know contracts are already involved, but jeez! I supposed, just like in the article, a couple extras questions should be added to the questionnaire to determine compatibility.