Obligatory "I don't have a uterus" but personally, I think it comes down to the motivation and intention. There can be ethical issues involved in it, but if the person who is getting pregnant is fully willing and knows all the risks, I don't see the problem.

I'd argue it's pretty noble to put your body through 9-10 months of such an ordeal to give another family a baby, and I'm definitely a bit biased because if I want to be a mom I don't have much of a choice but to go through a surrogate or adopt, but it's something that gives people options if they can afford it.

There's of course a moral argument you can make in regards to whether its selfless to do something generous and receive payment for it, whether that counts as charity, but like... pregnancy is hard, and if a person chooses to be pregnant for someone else, I'd argue getting paid is a good thing.

Every situation is unique, but I think at a baseline level it's totally cool, provided it's done ethically!

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There's no perfect answer (same problem exists with adoption), but all options should remain on the table. Just because something CAN be used unethically, doesn't mean it is inherently unethical. And there can always be safeguards. I always get really angry and shocked at overzealous people suggesting that surrogacy, adoption, IVF, sperm or egg donation, or other alternative methods of becoming parents, should be completely abandoned or even outlawed on the grounds of ethics. It's entirely cruel.

People worry too much. They don't care if they hurt someone as long as a half-baked idea of how to prevent another group of people from harm gets enough traction. And the worst part is how hypocritical it is!

Because they don't care if someone can never be a parent. Just like the "ban all single use plastics" people don't care if disabled, or poor, or homeless people have to be thrown under the bus to ban straws and bags. Or just like the "ban animal testing of products" people don't care if poor, or homeless, or soldiers, or incarcerated people get tested on for products.

It's never ACTUALLY about preventing harm. It's about performative moral righteousness. It's about the fad issue of the day.

They don't actually want solutions. They don't want compromise. They don't want to get into the weeds of the issue and find an actual solution to the problems they bring up. They just want to stir the pot. Because the second you start bringing up real solutions, they always try to shut you down or shut you up.

Don't let the ethical arguments against surrogacy stress you out too much.

I believe surrogacy is great. Can lower income women be exploited? Yes, but the same could be said of any exchange where one person has money and the other doesn't, and labeling surrogacy unethical in its entirety because of that would be unfair.

So, as a trans woman, I adore the concept of being a surrogate. Sure, you can say it's a fetish; but I dearly wish I could be pregnant and give birth to a new life... but I don't want the responsibility of then caring for that life. I've come to the realization that I would not be a good parent, nor do I wish to be. So surrogacy strikes me as an ethical solution to my theoretical dilemma.

As for the "ethical" arguments against it, nearly all of them apply to any job. I.e. all jobs require you to "sell your body" if you want to use that dysphemism; all jobs can be exploitative if you underpay someone desperate for money. As someone else already said, don't stress about them too much.

I think if its for a friend or family member who cant have kids of their own I think it is ok and if it is for money I think it is a bit confusing

I'm glad it's a way for LGBT people to become biological parents.

There's exploitation in the industry tho, especially in third world countries. But I see it as a positive thing as someone who supports freedom.

I don't have much to say other than I like it. My characters do surrogacy simply because they love being pregnant.

I'll just speak from personal experience.

My wife does it for a few reasons.

1, she enjoys the feeling of being pregnant.
2, she finds it to be easy money.
3, she like that she gets to help others bring life in who cant on their own for whatever reason.
4, so like that she can get the entire pregnancy experience without having to then worry about raising a human in todays world and not worry about messing them up.
5, she knows that it turns me on when she is carrying and I like it because I dont have to worry about getting her pregnant if she already is

Edit to say, we live in Canada and haven't had any real isssues thus far.

Damn. You lucky bastard. XD

You guys definitely were blessed with your circumstances! And it also helps to live in a country with more liberal laws on surrogacy - Brazil, for example, limits surrogacy to relatives of the couple, and only VERY specific non-family circumstances allowed by the Federal Medicine Council. I hope you guys enjoy, and are enjoying, that as much as possible! ^^

if its an ethical concern, make a magical surrogacy fairy that gets pregnant and carries the baby for you

While I'm not among the group asked for feedback, that clearly hasn't stopped anyone else. I have something to contribute in the interest of being constructive, and this is as much answering your question as much as it is, now that you've gotten other feedback, mentioning the most important thing to remember.

I assume this isn't about your character Chelsea but is asked in a more general sense, because there's nothing unlikable about Chelsea, and I don't know if Bridgette is still a surrogate or if that has been/is being retconned but I assume it's also not about her because there's nothing unlikable about her either.

But anyway, my thoughts are that I've seen surrogacy done for a number of reasons, some that might be considered more noble or selfless than others. Whatever the reasons it's done, I don't think I need to explain why it's one of the most personal decisions someone can make. In both of the previous sentences, I don't just refer to whoever's carrying but also whoever's being carried for.

What's "ethical" is going to change depending on who you ask. Some have strong thoughts on what's ethical, whether they've done it themselves or not and whatever their reasons for doing or not doing so. Others aren't going to particularly care or see it as an ethical issue at all. But if you're interested in bringing conflicting ethics into a story that involves surrogacy, then I'd say this is a good thing to ask around about, even though with how long you've been in the preg scene, if you're anything like me, you've seen a swath of opinions whether you've been looking for them or not.

And if people dislike something you do or a character you create? That's not necessarily something to ignore, but...oh well! You get the biggest say in how much weight that has.

The short of it is that if the characters you've created, surrogate and otherwise, are anything to go by, I don't think you have anything to worry about, no matter what route you go with. Whether it catches on or not, that's always nice if it does and a potential bummer if it doesn't, but create something that satisfies you first and foremost.

I have the "equipment" and I wish I could be a surrogate! Simply because I would love to be pregnant as much as I can. In the US, you need to have had one viable pregnancy and successful birth before you can consider becomming a surrogate. Maybe in the future, still!