Treating Women & Children As Commodities

WASHINGTON STATE LEGISLATURE SEEKS TO TREAT WOMEN AND CHILDREN AS COMMODITIES

It is stunning. Bill 1267 now before the Senate, would legalize coercing poor women to prostitute their wombs for the manufacturing of children. Both the woman and child would be bought and sold. Barbaric.

This is a cynical if-you-have-enough-money, you have a right to purchase other human beings. THIS TRAVESTY MAY BE VOTED ON THIS WEEK.

Do we have to relearn that buying and selling of other human beings is a moral evil? Obviously, declaring: "Never again" is, by itself, never good enough, because human exploitation changes its disguise; the injustice appears in a different form with a new rationale.

Those legislators who pay lip-service to caring about women and children, are looking to legalize them as a commodity.

No matter your opinion on surrogacy, same-sex marriage, or abortion, you should be appalled at how poorly this legislation is written:

THE PURCHASE OF CHILDREN

HB 1267 would allow a couple to purchase a surrogate to have a child that may not be genetically related to the buyers.

Current Washington law sets forth that it is unlawful to purchase a minor child, but this bill inserts an exception into the law for a child that is the result of a paid contract.

This completely bypasses or circumvents all adoption safety procedures. These procedures are in place to protect children. This is an adoption, except in name. Gestational adoptions are adoptions. Yet, all adoption procedures are bypassed by this bill.

EXPLOITING POOR AND VULNERABLE WOMEN

Women who are low-income or unable to find work could be coerced into becoming a surrogate out of desperation.

While other state allow compensation for expenses and lost wages, there are NO LIMITS under this bill to the amount of money which could be spent to entice a women to become a surrogate.

This bill legalizes the renting of a woman's body for the first time, WITH NO REGULATIONS OR OVERSIGHT.

Under current law, paid surrogacy is prohibited and considered a misdemeanor.

This bill will, for the first time, open the doors to the renting of women in a completely unregulated service contract for over nine months.

Since the advent of paid surrogacy in other counties, a dark and disturbing trend of rich interests taking advantage of poor women has emerged. Surrogacy rings, amounting to slave labor have been occurring in Asia, and making international news.

Like pay day loan businesses, targeting poor military families, there is also evidence of surrogacy businesses targeting poor military families because of the great military healthcare. It will happen here.

It is a tragedy that some couples are unable to conceive, but an unregulated market that will take advantage of the growing number of woman dropping into poverty is wrong. Many states prohibit paid surrogacy.

CALL THE LEGISLATIVE HOTLINE 1-800-562-6000 AND LET YOUR SENATOR KNOW WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THIS BILL

- Human Life Washington