A gay couple from Ontario has reportedly filed a mega $600,000 lawsuit against the surrogate who carried their son.
This incident sparked serious legal and ethical debates inside Canada, as shared by local media outlets.
The conflict began at 22 weeks of pregnancy when the intended parents requested a pregnancy termination over fears of serious genetic abnormalities. The surrogate refused to abort without any kind of comprehensive testing. The specialist eventually confirmed that the fetus only had a cleft lip, which was deemed to be a minor surgically correctable birth defect.
The surrogate carried the child to term, and the pair took custody after birth. But their relationship totally collapsed soon after. The pair sued the surrogate for negligence, breach of confidentiality, and serious emotional distress.
The legal case did not cite her refusal to abort, as Canadian law grants pregnant women full bodily autonomy and control over medical decisions. The surrogate denied all of the claims and stated that she kept the parents informed and never endangered the baby.