《英语流行话题阅读:语境识词3500》Unit71:寻找代孕母亲

　　Unit 71
Finding a Surrogate Mother, Is It a Good Choice?
Surrogacy -- having another woman bear a child for you -- is an emotionally intense and legally complex arrangement. The process can require vast amounts of time, money, and patience to succeed. However, more and more couples are considering surrogacy as a way of having their child. Despite some "disaster stories" in the media, it is an arrangement that can bring joy to all concerned -- as long as all the medical, legal, financial and emotional aspects are thought through beforehand.
-- How does it work?
Couples most often choose surrogacy when the woman is infertile¹ and treatments have failed, when a woman is unable to carry a child herself because of abnormalities in her uterus. A surrogate mother typically conceives after being artificially inseminated with the man's sperm². She then goes on to carry the baby. When the child is born, the surrogate mother gives the baby to the couple and stops her parental³ rights. The father's partner can then apply to adopt the baby legally. It is also possible for a surrogate to carry a donated embryo⁴ to term. Surrogate arrangements are usually set up through agencies although private arrangements exist. The couple is typically heavily involved in the pregnancy⁵ and the surrogate will remain a part of the baby's life after birth. In both situations, the infertile couple usually pays the surrogate mother's expenses along with additional legal and agency fees if a contract is involved. Surrogacy is legal in the UK. However, it is illegal to advertise for a surrogate or for a surrogate to advertise. Once the baby is born, the intended parents will need to establish their legal parentage otherwise the baby will be registered as the child of the birth mother -- the surrogate.
-- The advantages and disadvantages
For a woman who can't conceive, surrogacy creates a chance for her and her partner to parent a child who is their genetic⁶ children at least partially⁷ (if tey use the father's sperm and the surrogate's egg) or completely (if they ask the surrogate co carry an embryo created from the mother's egg and the father's sperm). If they set up an open arrangement, the couple can be deeply involved in all the details of their baby's gestation⁸ and may be there for the birth of their baby.
In addition to its complicated procedures, surrogacy is highly controversial and can be legally complex. Some surrogates also face difficult emotional and psychological problems over letting the baby go. The infertile couple not only experience the usually anxiety of waiting for a pregnancy to reach full-term safely but also worry about legal trouble, the ethics⁹ of "buying" a child and the possibility that the surrogate will change her mind.

1 infertile   

adj.不孕的；不肥沃的，贫瘠的

参考例句：

• Plants can't grow well in the infertile land.在贫瘠的土地上庄稼长不好。
• Nobody is willing to till this infertile land.这块薄田没有人愿意耕种。

2 sperm   

n.精子，精液

参考例句：

• Only one sperm fertilises an egg.只有一个精子使卵子受精。
• In human reproduction,one female egg is usually fertilized by one sperm.在人体生殖过程中，一个精子使一个卵子受精。

3 parental   

adj.父母的；父的；母的

参考例句：

• He encourages parental involvement in the running of school.他鼓励学生家长参与学校的管理。
• Children always revolt against parental disciplines.孩子们总是反抗父母的管束。

4 embryo   

n.胚胎，萌芽的事物

参考例句：

• They are engaging in an embryo research.他们正在进行一项胚胎研究。
• The project was barely in embryo.该计划只是个雏形。

5 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

6 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

7 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

8 gestation   

n.怀孕；酝酿

参考例句：

• The gestation period can be anything between 95 and 150 days.妊娠期从95天至150天不等。
• This film was two years in gestation.这部电影酝酿了两年。

9 ethics   

n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准

参考例句：

• The ethics of his profession don't permit him to do that.他的职业道德不允许他那样做。
• Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.个人道德和职业道德有时会相互抵触。