Gloria Steinem has died, as you’ve likely heard by now. Obituaries note that she was a women’s rights activist. Not many of them are noting that included being opposed to commercial surrogacy. She spoke out against it prominently in New York when Andrew Cuomo moved to legalize it.
A state that medicalizes and rents out female bodies — with third party profit as a motive and little or no regulation of risk to the women egg donors and surrogate wombs — jeopardizes a woman’s fundamental right to health and freedom and puts profit ahead of the long-term welfare of the fetus.
(I wrote about her opposition to surrogacy a few times, including here.)
I thought of the Alaska nurse, McKenna West, and the current fight over the baby she delivered as a surrogate as I reread this part of Steinem’s letter:
The surrogate mother’s rights over the fetus she is carrying are greatly curtailed and she loses all rights to the baby she delivers.
Now you believe me. Because if it were a K-Lo Fantasy Feminist, why wouldn’t I have converted her on abortion?
Obviously, she was for abortion, and had one when she was 22. In a sense, that made her opposition to surrogacy more powerful — certainly more notable — emphasizing how dangerous it is for women.
I didn’t think she went far enough — all surrogacy should be banned. And opposition to surrogacy should have to do with the child as much as the mother. I’m still grateful she helped highlight the possibilities for creative coalitions.
If people were more open to such a radical idea — breaking out of our tribes now and again on issues of vital human importance — the good might even win more often.
Jennifer Lahl, the founder of the Center for Bioethics and Culture, says, about her work with Steinem:
During the height of the Covid lockdowns, then Governor Cuomo passed legislation that permitted paid gestational surrogacy. Up until that point, surrogacy was legal but you were not allowed to be paid. Gloria Steinem joined our efforts to defeat this legislation. While I disagreed with her on other matters, having her understand the exploitation of women hired as surrogates and to be publicly vocal against the practice was deeply encouraging for us fighting this legislation. Sadly, we lost the battle, but it was a wake up call for many when Gloria spoke against this practice.
I spoke with Lahl about surrogacy and other issues involving women’s fertility here.