Quebec should not fund the conception of ‘manufactured’ children

Gay Quebec TV celebrity Joël Legendre is bruiting the news that he and his partner are expectant dads of twin girls, thanks to the generosity of the Quebec government, which funded the men’s path to fatherhood through their own mixed sperm and a surrogate’s IVF treatment.

For the last several years, Quebec has been funding assisted reproduction for women unable to conceive naturally (including lesbians) at a cost of some $70 million a year, but this brings the state’s involvement in baby-making to a new level, one that is causing concern to many observers, not least on legal grounds, but since Canada’s sperm donor and surrogacy laws are so ill-enforced in any case, I will leave that issue aside for now.

Moral concern is focused on two issues: the “instrumentalization” of the female body implied by surrogacy and the alleged “right” of couples – heterosexual or gay – to have a child.  (more...)

Quebec should not fund the conception of ‘manufactured’ children

More:

Gay radio host’s child born through surrogate mother spurs debate over in vitro fertilization in Quebec

Quebec’s government health care will now fund IVF for surrogates hired by gay males