One of the things that really stayed with me from my research on "the baby industry" for my latest BusinessWeek.com column is the courage of the women (and their partners) who embark on the fertility search. Committing to having a surrogate birth mother requires surrendering not only control but lots of other emotional attachments that are part of the birthing experience. It also means putting yourself out there in a unique way.
The willingness of so many women to do that is testimony to the power of parenthood. For all its stresses, parenthood is one of the great joys of life, and its attraction continues to be enduring in an ever-more-uncertain world.
As in all such health-related matters, there is a lot of money at stake. And whenever there is money at stake, there will be the less than scrupulous. I didn’t get to meet these individuals in my brief foray into the baby business, but I know they are there, and prospective parents heading down the fertility path should stay alert.
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