Sibling Surrogacy

It's the plot secret in dozens of novels, movies, and TV series: your "aunt" is really your biological mother (21st century variation: or surrogate, not necessarily the same as biological mother).

Except now that fact is known and accepted by everyone from the beginning:

Emilee gave birth to her niece, the child of brother
Ben and wife Taylor (McGarvey / WSJ)

They Needed a Surrogate, So They Asked a Sibling to Do It

Having a surrogate give birth to your baby can cost as much as $200,000. Taylor and Ben Shinoskie found a cheaper womb to rent.

Ben’s sister, Emilee Shinoskie, gave birth to their healthy baby in May. Taylor and Ben, both 33 years old, saved money by taking on much of the administrative work themselves, though the birth still drained about $57,000 from their savings. The three of them, in Columbus, Ohio, navigated legal minefields and family dynamics that no contract could anticipate...

Surrogacy is often a last-resort option for couples struggling to have a biological child, and a common route for same-sex couples. It is typically the most expensive path to parenthood, and only a precursor to the massive cost of raising children. It combines the expenses of involving another person for nine months with the costs of in vitro fertilization, through which embryos are conceived in a lab.

Working with a friend or family member can be cheaper than hiring a stranger, but also messier. Taylor and Ben’s lawyer advised them to compensate Emilee, but she refused to be paid. After she wouldn’t deposit a $10,000 check, they bought her maternity clothes, paid for groceries and secretly replaced the tires on her car.

There were nearly 10,000 embryos transferred to surrogates in 2022, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some women receive multiple transfers, and some types of surrogacy aren’t tracked.

The total embryo transfers to all surrogates, related or not, are just under 10,000 per year. Expect that total to increase as children become more highly valued by societies around the world.