Gay men's narratives of pregnancy in the context of commercial surrogacy
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Date
2015
Authors
Riggs, Damien Wayne
Dempsey, Deborah
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Demeter Press
Rights
Author version of the chapter reproduced here with permission from the publisher.
info@demeterpress.org
Rights Holder
Demeter Press
Abstract
Historically, gay men have primarily become fathers in the context of heterosexual relationships, or for some men through foster care, adoption, or co‐parenting arrangements as sperm donors (Riggs and Due). Since the beginning of the 21st
century, however, gay men living in western countries have increasingly made use of commercial surrogacy services (Everingham, Stafford‐Bell, and Hammarberg). The increased use of these services has become possible as a result of legislative change in countries such as the US (in which many states now allow for the contracting of surrogacy services), in addition to the provision of services in countries where the regulation of commercial surrogacy has not occurred until relatively recently (such as India and Thailand). The rapid growth in the use of commercial surrogacy services by gay men has been shaped by factors such as 1) a desire for genetic relatedness between children and at least one of their fathers (in a couple), 2) the perception that commercial surrogacy allows men to have greater control over the process of having a child, and 3) the perception that commercial surrogacy arrangements offer greater legal security to gay men (Murphy; Tuazon‐McCheyne).
Description
Author version of the chapter reproduced here with permission from the publisher.
Keywords
Social work, Sexuality and gender, Children
Citation
Riggs, D.W. and Dempsey, D., 2015. Gay men’s narratives of pregnancy in the context of commercial surrogacy. In N. Burton (Ed.) Birth and its meanings: Representations of pregnancy, childbirth and parenting. Toronto: Demeter Press.