by Lexi Ellingsworth, The Critic
Celebrities have brought surrogacy into the public eye but it is victims who will shift public opinion
The celebrity world has carried out a remarkably effective public relations campaign for surrogacy. The formula is now grimly familiar. A famous person announces the new arrival. The headlines speak of a “miracle”, a “beautiful journey” and an extraordinarily generous but anonymous woman, a “surrogate”. Concern around money, power, contracts and the status of the woman who actually undergoes the pregnancy and birth are conspicuous by their omission. Fans celebrate this new life and shower the famous person with congratulations with no questions asked.
As a result, surrogacy begins to look normal — a simple alternative “pathway to parenthood”. Whether it’s Lady Gaga or Lena Dunham, the names change but the underlying message does not. Why actually have a baby when you can commission one?
But has celebrity baby-buying finally gone too far? The cracks began to show last year with the backlash in response to the announcement of Baby Tove to Lily Collins and Charlie McDowell, with McDowell issuing a statement: “It’s OK to not know the motivations of a surrogate regardless of what you assume and it’s OK to spend less time spewing hateful words into the world, especially in regards to a beautiful baby girl who has brought a lot of love into people’s lives,” he said. Their earlier joint statement expressed gratitude to Tove’s mother but did not share how much they paid her.