Grayce P. Storey
Surrogacy, umm. What comes to mind? I put the question to my class and their responses were; “like your godmother or foster mother”, “not your biological parent”, “to have someone have your baby for you” and “transplanting an egg and sperm inside you if you are having trouble having a baby”. Finally a surrogate mother is a woman who carries a child usually for an infertile couple. My student’s primary focuses are moral issues. The question may be asked, Is it wrong for a woman to loan her body out to someone for a fee? Why would a woman want to become a surrogate mother? What are the legal, moral, and religious issues involved in surrogacy? I find that their interest far surpasses their knowledge. They are molecules of vibrant energy bouncing around with many questions. It is my intent with the knowledge extrapolated from my seminar and the support of my professor that I will be able to answer all of their questions.
My unit will be taught in an eighth grade science class. I plan to address the moral issues of surrogate motherhood. The areas to be developed in this unit are:
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1. What is surrogacy and the types of surrogacy
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2. Who should or should not be a surrogate; is surrogacy for you
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3. Religion, from a Christian’s point of view how surrogacy is perceived
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4. Surrogacy and the Law
My class is highly opinionated. They were awestruck at the idea of a mother giving a child she gave birth to away. They totally ignored the idea of signing a contract. Morally they felt that surrogacy is “wrong”. I am not sure what made them so overtly irate. Was it my presentation or was it not being able to give them more information? Nevertheless, they left the door ajar indicating that they needed more time to think and talk the issue out.
Included in this unit are vocabulary list, resources, lesson plans, reading lists, and a bibliography.
