I've heard of pass-the-parcel, but this is ridiculous
Baby or hot potato?
Janet and John want to have a baby, but can’t. They do have the money for in vitro fertilisation with donated sperm and an egg, and they hire the womb of Edith Honeydew, who gives birth to a baby, which is called Sam.
When Mr Spick, the consultant, phones Janet and John, he finds that they’ve split up and don’t want the baby. Nor does Ms Honeydew when Mr Spick phones her. And when the IVF company tracks down the donors of the original genetic material, one can’t be found and the other isn’t interested.
The problem is, whose baby is it?
The answer in my mind is Janet and John’s; not that this is a satisfactory answer. You could simply treat Sam the Baby as if he was something you’d bought at a shop, but while returning a book or DVD is one thing, returning a baby is quite another. He’d have to be offered up for adoption unless Mr Spick took the matter to court, which could well rule that Janet and John, the original purchasers, were responsible for the child. The biological parents were merely donors selected by the clinic and Ms Honeydew was a womb for hire. None of them should be responsible for Sam, or even expected to want him. Mr Spick and his company end up being Sam’s parent by default until Janet and John take responsibility for him.
When Mr Spick, the consultant, phones Janet and John, he finds that they’ve split up and don’t want the baby. Nor does Ms Honeydew when Mr Spick phones her. And when the IVF company tracks down the donors of the original genetic material, one can’t be found and the other isn’t interested.
The problem is, whose baby is it?
The answer in my mind is Janet and John’s; not that this is a satisfactory answer. You could simply treat Sam the Baby as if he was something you’d bought at a shop, but while returning a book or DVD is one thing, returning a baby is quite another. He’d have to be offered up for adoption unless Mr Spick took the matter to court, which could well rule that Janet and John, the original purchasers, were responsible for the child. The biological parents were merely donors selected by the clinic and Ms Honeydew was a womb for hire. None of them should be responsible for Sam, or even expected to want him. Mr Spick and his company end up being Sam’s parent by default until Janet and John take responsibility for him.
From babies to organ donors. The organ harvest begins tomorrow.
Comments