Japan apparently don't like surrogate births

[Digital Masta]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6052584.stm


My whole gripe is about the whole considering the woman who gave birth the mother and not the actual biological mother (granted in 99% of the cases it is the biological mother who gives birth).

[haterllnation]

Luckily, she was able to adopt her child back. That sounds odd. The thing is, the young woman couldn't have children due to no uterus (cancer being the culprit). So, what would they suggest she do, not try to have kids and die out? That's cold. They really should take another look at that situation. However, I've never heard of a mother doing it. I always figured it would be some random Jane or a close friend.

[羽之助]

... how about the woman who used a (god forbid) American woman as a surrogate mother?

http://www.japantoday.com/jp/news/386888

Ward office, under instructions from Justice Ministry, appeals surrogate birth ruling

Tuesday, October 10, 2006 at 15:36 EDT

TOKYO — A local government in Tokyo filed an appeal at the Supreme Court on Tuesday against a lower court ruling that ordered it to include the twins born to a Japanese couple through an American surrogate mother in its registry.

The Shinagawa Ward government, under instructions from the Justice Ministry, appealed the Tokyo High Court ruling on Sept 29 that said the children of TV personality Aki Mukai, 41, and former professional wrestler Nobuhiko Takada, 44, should be registered in consideration of their welfare.

Takeshi Hamano, who just took over the post of the Shinagawa Ward mayor, said, "It was moving to hear Ms. Mukai's desire to have children, but considering the lack of consensus over medical advancements, the ward can only wait for a legal judgment."

Speaking at a separate press conference, Justice Minister Jinen Nagase also objected to the high court decision saying it would "confuse people" if it is finalized.

"Most of the Supreme Court rulings and academic theories are united under the understanding that labor makes up a mother-child relationship, while the high court decision does not seem to have firm grounds," he said.

Mukai chose to have a surrogate mother after having a hysterectomy due to uterine cancer. The surrogate mother gave birth to the twins in 2003 in Nevada after having the couple's fertilized eggs implanted.

The Shinagawa ward office, with which the couple tried to register the twins, did not accept the application after the Justice Ministry said Mukai cannot be recognized as the mother of the children.

The Tokyo Family Court that the case was first brought in rejected the couple's claim last November. They immediately filed an appeal and won at the high court in September.

Lack of medical consensus, huh? And what about if you give birth by C-section? Lack of labour so I guess the child immediately becomes an orphan in Japan.

[Civilization Phrase III]

That's really weird.

What I find awkward there is that the grandmother had her son-in-law's sperm in her.

[Digital Masta]

I'm not weirded out by the grandmother being the surrogate. What bothers me is the whole Japanese government mentality about this whole subject.

[Riinuka]

The grandmother didn't have the sperm in her. The egg is fertilized with sperm in a petri dish (usually), the zygote is allowed to divide a few times, and then the cluster is implanted into the surrogate. At least.. that's how it was last time I knew.

[Civilization Phrase III]

The grandmother didn't have the sperm in her. The egg is fertilized with sperm in a petri dish (usually), the zygote is allowed to divide a few times, and then the cluster is implanted into the surrogate. At least.. that's how it was last time I knew.
Yeah, ok, I think that's right.