By Seda Sevencan
ISTANBUL (AA) — Michigan has become the last US state to decriminalize paid surrogacy after Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a bill repealing a ban on compensated surrogacy agreements.
A statement by Whitmer's office called the act a "package of commonsense bills that make it easier for Michiganders to start a family, save time and money on government paperwork, and be treated equally under the law."
"The package repeals an unjust ban that made Michigan the only state in the nation to criminalize surrogacy contracts, and better protects surrogates, parents, and children so that more Michiganders have the support they need to start a family," said the statement.
"The Michigan Family Protection Act takes commonsense, long-overdue action to repeal Michigan’s ban on surrogacy, protect families formed by IVF, and ensure LGBTQ+ parents are treated equally," Whitmer said.
"Decisions about if, when, and how to have a child should be left to a family, their doctor, and those they love and trust, not politicians," Whitmer stated. "If we want more people and families to 'make it' in Michigan, we need to support them with the resources they need to make these deeply personal, life-changing choices."
"Your family's decisions should be up to you, and my legislative partners and I will keep fighting like hell to protect reproductive freedom in Michigan and make our state the best place to start, raise, and grow your family," she said.
The act is comprised of nine bills. Besides decriminalizing paid surrogacy, it introduces protections for surrogates, parents, and children born through the surrogacy process.
Surrogacy is when a woman carries and gives birth to a baby for an another couple or person.