Surrogate mother

A surrogate mother or ersatz mother is a woman who carries a child for a couple or single person with the intention of giving that child up once it is born. The surrogate mother may be the baby's biological mother (traditional surrogacy) or she may be implanted with someone else's fertilized egg (gestational surrogacy). The most common reason for using a surrogate mother is infertility.

It is estimated that in the United States, the costs of using a surrogate mother range between US$28,000 and $45,000. Gestational surrogacy costs more than traditional surrogacy, since more complicated medical procedures are required.

The most famous case of surrogacy was the Baby M case, in which the surrogate mother refused to surrender the child she had borne to the child's biological father. The Supreme Court of New Jersey awarded custody to the biological father and visitation rights to the surrogate mother.