infertlity
Surrogate pregnancy
It’s a tough decision for any couple; fraught with peril …
if they’re unable to conceive and carry a child in the normal way …
if the woman is infertile …
if they decide to use the man’s sperm …
if they can find a woman willing to use her own eggs …
if she’s prepared to carry the child to term and then give it up …
if the contract develops holes …
Emotions run high, hormones are rampant, there are so many potential glitches, innumerable unknowns. All of which make the process a maelstrom of ethical dilemmas.
Yep, my kind of territory! So I was fascinated to find a new-to-me author who’s written about such a topic. And it’s all thanks to the National Trust and their secondhand bookshops I mentioned last week. The author’s name is Freida McFadden and the book is The Surrogate Mother.
When Abby Adler’s personal assistant Monica offers to be a surrogate for her, she’s both thrilled and concerned. It’s a hugely attractive offer but initially Abby’s husband, math’s professor Dr Sam Adler, is not at all comfortable with the idea. But both are desperate to have a child, and that compelling need drives them to accept. However, before long those early concerns seem justified; Monica and Abby’s handsome husband seem to be getting uncomfortably close; Monica is blossoming as the pregnancy progresses; the working relationship between the two women is subtly altering; suspicion and fear evolve into paranoia, driving Abby to make mistakes, miss appointments, lose control at work.
Then accusations are made about Abby’s judgements, about her fitness to hold her position or even to be a mother to the coming child. The crisis point comes when she’s found stained in blood beside the body of her boss, her own distinctive paperknife the weapon used in the attack. And even Sam seems to doubt her innocence.
It’s a tense unravelling and a gripping read. Raises all sorts of questions. I’m so delighted to find another author exploring this dilemma in such a clever and dramatic way; through a psychological thriller what’s more!