Since surrogate motherhood was the only topic that "hit home" for me, I decided to explore it in this paper.
             The medical and legal background on Surrogacy
             Webster's Medical Dictionary defines surrogate mother as "a woman who becomes pregnant, usually by artificial insemination or surgical implantation of a fertilized egg for the purpose of carrying the fetus to term for another woman." In either case, it is assumed that at the end of the pregnancy, the baby is surrendered to the couple that employed the services of the surrogate. The egg can be obtained from three different sources:
             - It can be taken from the intended mother who is unable to carry pregnancy to term, but is able to produce healthy eggs
             - It is provided by the surrogate mother
             - It is provided by a third party donor
             Just as with eggs, the sperm can either be obtained from the intended father or from the sperm bank. Thus, there are quite a few combinations as to who the parents can be, which creates a whole new set of problems that will be discussed later.
             There are two main types of surrogacy: traditional and gestational. In traditional surrogacy, the surrogate mother is impregnated via artificial insemination, and carries a child that is genetically her offspring. In gestational surrogacy, the surrogate mother is implanted with a fertilized embryo, which was previously obtained by the intended parents through in vitro fertilization. Thus, she has no genetic link to the child she carries, and the child is not her offspring, in the conventional sense of the term.
             Different states have adapted different stands on the legality of surrogate motherhood. In New York State, "New York's legislature declared surrogate parenting contracts void, unenforceable and contrary to public policy. Parties to surrogate parenting contracts involving compensation are subject to civil penalties of up to $500. The stiffest penalties are leve...