Disgusting: surrogate offered $10k to abort

Disgusting: surrogate offered $10k to abort

CNN has reported a gut wrenching story about the journey of a surrogate, Kelley, who discovered late in the pregnancy that the child she was carrying would be born disabled. The intended parents suggested that for $10,000 she should abort the child. The letter from their lawyer was disgusting. As CNN reported:

“You are obligated to terminate this pregnancy immediately,” wrote Douglas Fishman, an attorney in West Hartford, Connecticut. “You have squandered precious time.”

On March 5, Kelley would be 24 weeks pregnant, and after that, she couldn’t legally abort the pregnancy, he said.
“TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE,” he wrote.
Fishman reminded Kelley that she’d signed a contract, agreeing to “abortion in case of severe fetus abnormality.” The contract did not define what constituted such an abnormality.
Kelley was in breach of contract, he wrote, and if she did not abort, the parents would sue her to get back the fees they’d already paid her — around $8,000 — plus all of the medical expenses and legal fees.
 
Kelley did not abort. The whole story can be read here: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/03/04/health/surrogacy-kelley-legal-battle/index.html
Request an Appointment
Fill in the form below to find out if you have a claim.
Request an Appointment - Stephen Page
Things to Read, Watch & Listen

Posthumous Conception in Victoria: Retrieval, Consent, and the Law

Posthumous conception cases in Victoria sit at the intersection of grief, medicine, and strict statutory rules. They are deeply personal matters, but they are also highly technical. Timing matters. Consent matters. Process matters. And one of the hardest truths for families is that retrieving eggs, sperm, or embryos is often easier than being legally allowed… Read More »Posthumous Conception in Victoria: Retrieval, Consent, and the Law

Single Women and IVF: Why Sperm Costs $65,000 in New South Wales

IVF for single women is lawful across Australia, and that is the starting point many people need to hear. A woman does not lose access to fertility treatment because she is single. Clinics cannot lawfully refuse treatment on that basis, with federal anti-discrimination law providing protection across the country. That is the good news. The… Read More »Single Women and IVF: Why Sperm Costs $65,000 in New South Wales

8 Essential Rules for Known Sperm Donation in Australia

Sperm donation in Australia can be a generous, life-changing act. It can also become an expensive legal and emotional mess if people get the groundwork wrong. Known donor arrangements often begin with goodwill, trust and optimism. Unfortunately, none of those things is a substitute for legal clarity. When people talk about sperm donation in Australia,… Read More »8 Essential Rules for Known Sperm Donation in Australia

Family Law Section Law Council of Australia Award
Member of Queensland law society
Family law Practitioners Association
International Academy of Family Lawyers - IAFL
Mediator Standards Board