I was born from surrogacy and I am now fighting against surrogacy Here is my speech Olivia Maurel

Summary

The speaker, a child born from surrogacy, shares a deeply personal account of the emotional and psychological impact of being treated as a transactional object. They recount the trauma of abandonment, struggles with mental health, and the intergenerational effects on their own children. The narrative underscores the urgent need to abolish surrogacy to protect the rights and well-being of children, arguing against its normalization and the systemic issues it perpetuates.

Takeaways

• 🙇‍♀️ The speaker is a child born from surrogacy and is now an advocate against it, sharing their personal story to highlight the emotional and psychological impacts.
• 🤝 Surrogacy often disregards the consent of the child born, treating them as a product to be sold, similar to objects ordered from a factory.
• 👶 The speaker's biological parents were a successful couple who chose surrogacy due to infertility issues and a desire for a biological child.
• 🏥 The surrogacy process involved selecting a surrogate mother based on specific criteria, and the speaker was born through traditional surrogacy, biologically related to the surrogate.
• 💔 The speaker's biological mother was in a vulnerable state, having suffered a personal tragedy and financial difficulties, which the agency exploited.
• 🗓️ The speaker's birth date was chosen by the intended parents, illustrating a lack of autonomy and the commodification of the child.
• 😢 The speaker experienced severe trauma from abandonment and struggled with mental health issues, addiction, and suicidal thoughts throughout their life.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The trauma and mental health issues faced by the speaker have had a transgenerational impact, affecting their own children as well.
• 🧬 The speaker was diagnosed with bipolar disease, possibly inherited from their biological mother, highlighting the importance of genetic and medical history in surrogacy.
• ❌ The speaker calls for the abolition of surrogacy, arguing that it is unethical and has lifelong negative consequences for the children involved, and that no regulation can make it acceptable.

Q & A

What is the speaker's stance on surrogacy?

The speaker is against surrogacy and is advocating for its abolition, believing it to be unethical and harmful to the children born through it.

Why does the speaker feel emotionally connected to the topic of surrogacy?

The speaker is emotionally connected to the topic because they were born through surrogacy and have experienced the negative effects of it throughout their life.

What are some of the negative effects the speaker attributes to being born through surrogacy?

The speaker attributes trauma of abandonment, difficulty forming friendships, fear of rejection, alcohol addiction, suicidal attempts, and mental health issues such as bipolar disease to being born through surrogacy.

How does the speaker describe the process of surrogacy in terms of children's consent?

The speaker describes the process of surrogacy as one where children are not given consent and are treated as objects or products, similar to cars being ordered from factories.

What was the age difference between the speaker's intended parents when they decided to have a child?

The speaker's intended father was 37 and the mother was 48 when they decided to have a child.

Why did the speaker's intended parents choose surrogacy over adoption?

The speaker's intended parents chose surrogacy over adoption because the father wanted a child from his own genes.

How does the speaker feel about their biological mother's situation during her surrogacy?

The speaker feels that the surrogacy agency took advantage of their biological mother's vulnerable situation, using her need for money and not thoroughly considering her mental health.

What was the speaker's reaction when they found out they were conceived through surrogacy?

The speaker always felt that something was wrong and they didn't fit in with their family, but it wasn't until they were 30 years old, after a DNA test, that they had physical proof of being born through surrogacy.

How does the speaker's experience with surrogacy affect their children?

The speaker believes that the traumas they experienced due to being born through surrogacy are transgenerational and have affected their children, who also suffer from abandonment and rejection issues.

What does the speaker suggest as the primary reason for abolishing surrogacy?

The speaker suggests that the primary reason for abolishing surrogacy is to protect the rights and psychological well-being of the children born through it.

How does the speaker feel about their intended parents?

The speaker does not feel hatred or blame towards their intended parents; instead, they blame the system that allows surrogacy to continue and potentially cause harm to others.