(1) Cathy Yan, Maternal Mystery: Babies Bring Joy, and Questions, in Hong
Kong; Bachelor Businessman Welcomes Triplets With Fanfare; A Lucky Number.
Wall Street Journal, Dec. 15, 2010.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052748703471904576002913040745224.html
Quote:
"Hong Kong isn't alone in banning commercial surrogacy. Australia, the
Netherlands and France also forbid the practice. Surrogacy laws in the U.S.
are determined by states. In New York, for instance, it is illegal. * * * a
1993 California Supreme Court decision upheld the legality of a commercial
surrogate arrangement, is a popular destination.
Note:
(a) Henderson Land Development Company Ltd. 恒基兆業地產有限公司
www.hld.com
(b) Cyd HO 何 秀蘭
(c) Ronny TONG 湯 家驊
(2) Tamara Audi and Arlene Chang, Assembling the Global Baby; With an
international network of surrogate mothers and egg and sperm donors, a new
industry is emerging to produce children on the cheap and outside the reach
of restrictive laws. Wall Street Journal, Dec. 10, 2010.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703493504576007774155273928.html
Quote:
"Egg donors often come from the U.S. or Eastern European countries since
white parents tend to prefer fair-skinned children. Those countries allow
donor anonymity. Parents on tighter budgets might opt for a donor from India
or Latin America. Sperm is often provided by the fathers-to-be, though it's
also available from a network of sperm banks in the U.S. and Europe.
"'Our ethics are agnostic,' Mr. [Rudy] Rupak[, chief executive of
PlanetHospital.com LLC] says.
"Its [PlanetHospital's] first business, and still its biggest money-maker,
is "medical tourism," arranging travel to less expensive countries for knee
surgeries, cosmetic dentistry and the like.
"Many factors drive surrogacy's global spread. China and other big adoption
destinations have toughened their rules in recent years. Some developed
countries, including Japan, Spain, Germany, Italy and France, outlaw or
severely restrict surrogacy at home. The United Kingdom prohibits surrogacy
for pay, and in 2005 banned donor anonymity. Some U.S. states prohibit
surrogacy for pay, and in recent years some have outlawed gay adoption.
My comment: Gay couples can relate to this topic. You need not read the rest
if you do not want to--it is a long article after all.
-----------------------Separately
Veronica Dagher, The (Un)Marriage Penalty; For couples who aren't married,
financial planning poses unique challenges. Wall Street Journal, Dec. 12,
2010.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704243904575630673110856974.html
My comment: The article is more about tax consequences. Read the first 3
paragraphs and decide if it suits you.