Whoa. I don't know why I never really considered the possibility of this kind of thing happening before, but I was fairly shocked when I heard about what happened to Canadian surrogate mom Cathleen Hachey. The 20-year-old woman was 27 weeks into her pregnancy -- with twins -- when she got some very unexpected news from the British couple who'd signed a contract promising to adopt the babies.
The couple was in the process of splitting up, unfortunately.
And oh, by the way ...
Cathleen could keep the babies. Now that they weren't going to be together, the couple didn't really want to be parents anymore.
Oh. My. God.
And it gets worse! Wait until you hear the way the intended parents broke the bad news!
Okay, are you ready??
BY TEXT MESSAGE.
That's right, the British couple who signed the aforementioned contract giving them legal custody of Hachey's babies once they were born, and who agreed to pay the surrogate $200 per month to cover pregnancy expenses, backed out via text message.
Talk about bad manners.
Thank god Hachey was able to find a couple in Nova Scotia who were beyond thrilled to adopt the babies (especially because the young surrogate already has two children, aged 1 and 2, of her own at home). And she's not bitter about the experience -- in fact, she's planning on starting another surrogate pregnancy in January. (I know, I know.)
This time Hachey will have her own lawyer, she says, a protective benefit she didn't have with the twins. Apparently, even though there are plenty of laws surrounding surrogacy, they're difficult to enforce, especially in the case of a "traditional surrogacy" like this one, when the baby(s) is conceived using the prospective father's sperm and the surrogate mother's egg instead of the prospective mother's egg. This method is easier and cheaper (think turkey baster in the bathroom), but in the end, those twins were Hachey's biological children.
I guess it's a happy ending for everybody?
Are you surprised that Cathleen Hachey wants to be a surrogate mom again?
Image via Jeremy Miles/Flickr
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Comments 125
Just because one couple screwed her over doesn't mean they all will. I think she is amazing for wanting to do it again!
I think she is very brave for wanting to try surrogacy again and Im glad she is getting the legality straight before getting pregnant next time!
Wow, I can not beleive how mean people are being. Just because you could not emotionally become a tradional surogate (with your own eggs) or at all does not mean that you should be attacking those who choose to. I personally don't think I would be emotionally able to be a surrogate with my own eggs, or at all for that matter...but I would never look down upon someone for gving the gift of a child to a couple who desperately wanted one. Those crying adoption would be a better choice need to take into account the waiting time and extemely high cost. She is very brave to go through this and be willing to do it again.
Its disgusting how these childish people play game with human life. Its children for &% sake, its not a dog where you just find it a home. Those children may deal with a lifetime of pain wondering why they were not wanted by their surrogate or egg/sperm parents.
to those knocking this woman for being a surrogate (in the traditional sense, look it up for pete's sake) or worried about the "moral issues" - all i can say is that i hope infertility doesn't touch your life. do you have any idea what it's like to be a 44 year old woman who can't conceive? to know that the what is supposed to be the "most natural" thing for every other woman on the planet is absolutely impossible for you? to know the heartbreak of trying for years with no success? i don't, and God blessed me enough to be able to have my beautiful babies. but i would NOT knock a woman for wanting to give that gift to another person. it's absolutely selfless and it doesn't surprise me at all that she will be doing it again. i give her props and wish her the absolute best in this and any other surrogate(s) she may help!
Some of you are really really dumb LOL. Google traditional surrogacy.
Yeah I couldn't be a surrogate with my own egg. That'd be my baby, and I wouldn't be able to part with it.