The question inevitably comes up, 'Is surrogacy permissible from scripture or is it condemned?' After all, the science used in today's surrogacy is a far cry from anything they could have imagined when the bible was written. It can seem to a lot of people like we are using science to usurp Elohim from 'closing the womb', or committing adultery in some form, or a host of other concerns. Scripture should of course be the final authority on all choices a believer makes, so this is a topic I couldn't leave alone! This is a walk that my husband and I did turn to scripture to find an answer to.
First, there are a number of variations within surrogacy. Gestational surrogacy is the path that I have taken, where I have no genetic tie to the baby I am carrying. Gestational surrogacy is to be implanted with a baby in the embryonic stage that is formed from either the egg and sperm of the Parents or through donor eggs and/or sperm. Traditional surrogacy is the term for a surrogacy were the surrogate is also the egg donor, carrying a child which a genetic tie to herself; for all purposes but legal it is her baby. While science has only recently made the first case of surrogacy available we can look to scripture to find a precedent for traditional surrogacy.
Genesis 16:1-2 says, Now Sarai Avram’s wife had not borne him a child. But she had an Egyptian slave-girl named Hagar; 2 so Sarai said to Avram, “Here now, Adonai has kept me from having children; so go in and sleep with my slave-girl. Maybe I’ll be able to have children through her.” Avram listened to what Sarai said. Here we can see that through the use of another women, and even the egg of the other woman a child was born to the couple Avram and Sarai. Ishmael was still considered Sarai's child legally, while for all purposes otherwise was Hagar's son. Of course we know the story of what ended up happening, and the disruptions this situation ended up causing so you may think this is very poor example. It's also an example where the couple acted out a lack of faith in what God was doing in their lives, so there is that at fault as well. But did that stop or change God's plan at all? Of course not! He knew well in advance what they would do and who Ishmael would be, having a plan for him from before he was knit in Hagar's womb. Genesis 21:20 even says, God was with the boy, and he grew. He lived in the desert and became an archer. In reference to Ishmael.
Let's look to another example if the issues in that one are too much of a hurdle for you. Two generations later we have Jacob, and his two wives, Leah and Rachel. Rachel was left childless, and uses her maidservant Bilhah to have children for Rachel. Genesis 30:3-6 says, She said, “Here is my maid Bilhah. Go, sleep with her, and let her give birth to a child that will be laid on my knees, so that through her I too can build a family.” 4 So she gave him Bilhah her slave-girl as his wife, and Ya‘akov went in and slept with her. 5 Bilhah conceived and bore Ya‘akov a son. 6 Rachel said, “God has judged in my favor; indeed he has heard me and given me a son.” Therefore she called him Dan [he judged]. This shows even that God himself was a part of this, showing that God had given Rachel a son through the use of Bilhah and given favor on this plan. Yes, God had more to the plan for Rachel and she eventually had her own children, but the use of Bilhah was not against his plan, it was favored! So here we have a case that was favored by God of traditional surrogacy, and in this case it involved the sexual contact of a man and a woman outside of the marriage of the two intended parents.
Let's look to another aspect now. In the case of the biological father being donor to a child. Deuteronomy 25:5-6 shows this happening, saying, If brothers live together, and one of them dies childless, his widow is not to marry someone unrelated to him; her husband’s brother is to go to her and perform the duty of a brother-in-law by marrying her. 6 The first child she bears will succeed to the name of his dead brother, so that his name will not be eliminated from Isra’el. So a man, after intercourse and impregnating a woman, could be legally considered not the father under certain circumstances.
So we can see, clearly from scripture, that surrogacy was an acceptable practice in the eyes of Yahweh. One that he favored, and used within his plan. How much more so now that we can do surrogacy without having to include sexual intercourse? There is no longer an argument for fornication or adultery to be involved when it is all done with doctors.
Some would argue that it could still be adultery as 'another
man's sperm is going into the mother'. But this couldn't be more wrong as
another man's sperm is not going into a gestational surrogate. A baby is being
transferred into the gestational surrogate, in the embryonic stage of
development. As life begins at conception than that little embryo is already a
life. The surrogate mother is just the tool being used for preservation of that
life and allowing him or her to flourish! This isn't an argument where adultery
is at play but an argument where the value of life is. If we as believers truly feel that this is
a life already, that all stages of life are babies, then this little embryo is
already a baby and the surrogate mother is someone who can help that baby live
and have a great life with two loving parents. In the case of a traditional
surrogate this may be an issue, if it were listed as adultery in scripture. But
scripture does not list this as an issue of adultery at all, as sexual contact
is required for that. Traditional Surrogacy happens through artificial
insemination or through in vitro fertilization, both of which do not require
the father to be present.
Some may also state that if God closes the
womb who are we to argue with this? After all, wasn’t it Abram’s lack of faith
that was an issue? Yet we are surrounded by a fallen world, a world which sadly
causes many negative side effects. Things like illness and injury happen every
day and have astounding consequences at times. We know that God has given
wonderful knowledge to doctors, and the majority of us have no issue with going
to a doctor to help with things like diabetes, cancer, a broken bone, any line
of multiple health issues. What makes a damaged womb any different? It is
another side effect of a fallen world, just as cancer is. If we have no issue
seeking modern medicine for cancer treatment we should have no issue in doing
so to help a woman who cannot carry her baby to term.
Now yes, doing this walk there are
stipulations that we have to enforce in keeping to our biblical worldview and
morals. There are certainly some aspects which can still be considered questionable
requiring caution and could use revisions. Issues like who a Christian
surrogate should have a baby with, as the surrogacy field is often filled with
homosexual couples or single parents. This is no different than any other
surrogate choosing the best life for the child, in their beliefs. With a
biblical stance we must concede that the child’s best life will be with a
mother and a father as God designed for families. We must also be staunch in
that 'optional reduction' is a problem, to choose to let some babies live but
to abort others to avoid carrying more babies then you wish to. Instead a believer
surrogate mother must only take on as many babies as she is willing to carry to
term. Abortion is also an issue that must be brought up during the matching
process, as some prospective parents may wish to abort a baby who has a defect
or a disease. Other moral issues within surrogacy that remain are the way that
embryos, babies, are made in bulk and often frozen. Many will never see a womb.
Lives forever created to be lost. This is certainly a factor that needs to be
addressed and reduced. Thankfully there is one good benefit from a small amount
of this ‘over production’, that it is easier for some people to ‘adopt’ these
babies. As the governments in North America do not view them as children but
rather as property the embryos can be sold and implanted into a new mother,
adoption where the adoptive mother carried her baby to term. Sadly this also
isn’t without its moral issues, after all, who can put a price on these lives?
Again, it is an issue that should be addressed and be worked out without
destroying the core concept of providing life.
Yet that isn’t all the issues to
transverse. What also of the children who seek homes in our own countries?
Adoption is a wonderful thing and should of course be a primary option to a
family who seeks to have children. That said many countries in the world do not
have the readiness and availability for adoption as North America, leaving
these couples with no option to do so.
There is biblical support, even
endorsement, to allow surrogacy as a method to bring life into this world. To
be tools for God to give the blessing of children to other people and show his
love. Modern surrogacy has come a long way, and it has a long way to get yet,
yet we as believers can address these things from a biblical standpoint to help
surrogacy become a more acceptable form of building families.
I hope that this has helped you to see the biblical basis we have for our decision in being tools for another couple to have the gift of children from God, one of his largest blessings. Shalom.
