Paid surrogacy is no longer a crime in Michigan

Coming in last, Michigan joins the rest of the states in finally decriminalizing paid surrogacy. Governor Whitmer signed the Michigan Family Protection Act which will aid those who grow their families with the help of science.

 As most people know, surrogacy is when a person other than the intended parent carries the baby for those who will become the child’s legal parents. For people who are unable to become pregnant the “old fashioned way,” surrogacy is an important option to make their dream of becoming parents come true. Surrogates are giving more than nine months of their lives to help others, as medical preparation, legal contracts and meetings occur prior to the actual implantation of the embryo.

 

Prior to the new act taking effect, Michigan criminalized paid surrogacy, with penalties of a $10,000 fine and a maximum of one year incarceration. The new act encompasses nine bills, including surrogate regulations. According to the Michigan Fertility Alliance, only 5% of women meet the law’s standards for who can be a surrogate, lessening the chance of complications. The law sets forth what surrogacy agreements must contain and rules that must be followed, and clarifies how the parent-child relationship is established.

 

These changes greatly help those within the LGBTQ plus community as well as others who need reproductive assistance. While it took Michigan a long time to reach this point, it’s better late than never.