American attitudes towards surrogacy

....and here is a little article regarding the "American Attitude". Figures that it is a British idea of what the Americans think...although I tend to agree...Your thoughts???

Sharon

www.InfertilityAnswers.net

American attitudes towards surrogacy
by Madeleine Brindley, Western Mail

THE number of childless British couples traveling to the US for surrogacy has doubled, an expert has claimed.

Bill Handel, director of the California-based Center for Surrogacy Parenting, said the favorable pound to dollar exchange rate and more liberal attitudes towards surrogacy in parts of the US, were behind the rise.

Speaking exclusively to Health Wales, he said the UK had an “almost schizophrenic” attitude towards reproductive research and technologies.

“You are miles ahead of the US in terms of research – you are allowing a mixture of human and animal embryos to be created for research purposes. This is something that the US would never allow, mainly because of the Bush administration.

“But when it comes to my area of expertise – surrogacy – we look at the Brits being 100 years behind.

“You expect embryo research on one hand, but then say that surrogacy has to be done by DIY methods – it is mainstream here.

“Even when an embryo is implanted and the surrogate mum is not ‘connected’ to the baby, the attitude still seems to be that if a woman carries a child, she must be the mum.

“I don’t understand the European attitude towards surrogacy.”

Although surrogacy is “mainstream” in the more liberal states in the US, there are many parts of the country where it remains controversial.

Mr Handel added that the number of British couples traveling to California for surrogacy has doubled in two years, mainly thanks to the dollar being so weak.