On January 1, actress Zheng Shuang’s ex-partner Zhang Heng revealed on Weibo that a pair of babies born to him and Zheng Shuang’s surrogacy are currently stranded in the United States.In a recording, Zheng Shuang said, "These two children can't be beaten for seven months, fuck."
This recording is quite controversial.Overseas surrogacy is a complex but considerable industry, because this news has once again attracted attention.
Los Angeles Tao Ge is a senior American surrogacy practitioner.Through his narration, I can glimpse the complicated stories of those who went to the United States to seek a child through surrogacy, as well as some questions and thoughts triggered by this industry.

Behind the surrogacy in the United States

Interview with Tao Ge in Los Angeles:Create a person, how can there be returns and "three guarantees"

Because of my business as a surrogacy agency, I became a frequent visitor to the obstetrics and gynecology department in Los Angeles.Every year, I will witness the birth of at least 150 new lives.
Many people think that the moment of the birth of a new life is warm and moving, like a TV series, expectant parents cry with joy inside and outside the ward.
In fact, I have never seen such a picture.I will not miss the birthing moment because it is my duty, but I will not be excited either.
Surprisingly, many parents of newborn babies, my clients, never expressed the joy of being a parent.They frowned and were so nervous that they couldn't laugh.At the beginning, some Americans asked me, why are your children unhappy at birth?
I am a father of 4 children, and I can experience that during the pregnancy in October, a couple began to establish an emotional connection with the new life.Without this process, I found that many people are not ready to become parents.Many of my customers will say: The birth of a child is like a dream.After living with the child for a period of time, I realized that this is a real life.Before that, many parents and children had no feelings.Therefore, I am not even surprised to see the way Zheng Shuang talks about his children.
Many parents think that their children are the most beautiful babies in the world.But I have received a pair of clients. After the pregnant mother gave birth to the child, I sent them the photo, but they said: This child is so ugly, is it our own?The tone seemed to be discussing a baby who had nothing to do with him.
After the epidemic, many parents have no way to enter the United States.They will entrust me to find someone to take care of the child.This year, I have raised 5 children in my own family.
Many parents are not in a hurry to see their children, and even ask me to urge them to take their children.
The nervousness of the newborn's parents during childbirth is also forgivable.
After giving birth, these parents breathed a sigh of relief.They have too many things to worry about, and they have to fight with the intermediary.
Before giving birth, they have to worry about whether the pregnant mother will smoke, drink, or treat the child well, and also worry that the pregnant mother will deliberately let the newborn give birth prematurely. There is a myth in the industry that premature delivery can be “unloaded earlier”.

After the production, you have to worry about whether the intermediary will overcharge your own money.Worried about if it's illegal, or if the child won't give it to myself... After all, this is an industry of mixed good and bad. I have also heard about some customers being cheated.

There are many stories behind surrogacy in the United States

I have been in this industry since 2013.Surrogacy was not popular at that time.More Chinese customers come to the United States to give birth and do IVF.There are many advantages to coming to the United States. The child can get American citizenship at birth.
In 2015, I clearly felt that the surrogacy business in California was on fire.During that time, the Chinese who sold insurance and houses around us all started surrogacy business.Now, there are nearly 100 clinics doing surrogacy in the Los Angeles area alone.Nearly XNUMX% of the business of the clinics I contacted comes from Chinese clients.
2015 became a peak, mainly due to China's liberalization of the second-child policy.Some families want a second child, but because women are too old and older women are in danger, they consider coming to the United States to let others help themselves.
To do surrogacy with us, you do not need to provide a marriage certificate, you are very free.Most of the couples who come to surrogate are because they are not fertile or want to have children-because in California, gender can be screened.Someone will ask, if the child is unhealthy, can he "return the goods"?I have never heard of the term "returns" because you are building a person, not a TV. How can there be returns and "three guarantees"?
In this market, most of the situation is that there are many customers and few pregnant mothers.So what kind of people will be pregnant mothers?
In our agency, pregnant mothers are all Americans, including whites, blacks, and Latinos. We call pregnant mothers volunteers.
There are some pregnant mothers to make money.For a surrogacy, the pregnant mother can usually earn US$5 to XNUMX.Younger and more beautiful, pregnant mothers that are in line with Chinese people’s preferences will be more popular, and at the same time, the charges will be higher.A pregnant mother I know, even had XNUMX surrogates.Pregnant mothers are all aware that this is a contractual job—you need to borrow your own uterus and return the child to others after giving birth.Therefore, they will not have special feelings for their children.I have been in the industry for so many years, and I have never encountered a situation where ownership disputes arise because of the affection between pregnant mothers and children.
In most cases, the children born by American pregnant mothers followed the Chinese parents back to China and no longer contacted the American pregnant mothers.This is what customers want to see.They don't want more people to know that this child was born as a surrogate.I will also reassure customers in the circle of friends: one month before the expected date of delivery, we will finalize the parental rights verdict, take the baby to the hospital when the baby is born, the hospital will give the baby to the guest, and write the guest’s name in the parent column of the birth paper, and The pregnant mother does not matter.Surrogacy will not be shown on the birth certificate.

Surrogacy in the U.S.: Follow-up issues need to be resolved after the child is born

Many clients secretly come to the United States for surrogacy without telling their relatives and go back and pretend to be born by themselves.There are also some celebrities, officials, and wealthy businessmen who will come to the United States for surrogacy. Their fancy is to stay away from paparazzi and the public's sight, and privacy issues can be resolved.
Many parents do not plan to tell their children that they were born through surrogacy.After all, in the traditional Chinese concept, the children in their stomachs are closer.This year, the first child I assisted in surrogacy is 5 years old. I don't know if his parents will tell him this story.
I have encountered this situation: a couple came to us for a surrogacy. After the pregnant mother gave birth to a child, they divorced again. One party did not cooperate and the child could not return to China.
The surrogate child needs to apply for a Chinese travel permit to return to China, which is equivalent to a passport.Only one parent is required to apply for a China Travel Permit.But the problem is that a paternity test is required to apply for this certificate. If one parent does not cooperate, the whole process will be stuck.
In fact, this is a gray area. As long as both parties have this willingness, our intermediary can always find a way to send the child back to the country.However, if one of the parents holds a green card in the United States or Canada, the Chinese travel permit cannot be obtained.
But in the end, we still figured out a way to get the children back home.The question is whether the parents have this willingness.
If both parents are unwilling to have the child, the government will take the child back and adopt it for other families.But in fact, I have never encountered such a situation.No matter how the husband and wife quarrel, at least one of them will be responsible for the child.
After seeing so many new lives, I feel more and more that having a child is just the beginning, and how to raise a child is even more difficult.I have seen too many unqualified parents.But the client is strong in the process of surrogacy, we will not impose any restrictions on the client, no psychological test is required, as long as there is money.
Since the surrogacy industry in California is very fragmented, we will not have any blacklists to delineate "unqualified parents".As long as these parents have money, they can continue to find other agencies for surrogacy. They are free and have no scruples.

The original intention of surrogacy is to help parents who are unable to have their own children have their own children and build a complete family. Most families will cherish the children who have been so desperate.Those unqualified parents should reflect on their behavior, take up their responsibilities, and shoulder their responsibilities.