Aggregated News
First-time gestational surrogate Shandi Phelps realized her life was about to take a bizarre turn when President Donald Trump announced in January that the U.S. would restrict travel between China and the United States due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Phelps, of Grants Pass, is two weeks away from delivering a Chinese couple’s first child, and the soon-to-be parents are now stuck more than 6,000 miles away on the other side of the Pacific Ocean.
“You think of all the things that could go wrong,” Phelps said, “but never in my wildest dreams would I expect a pandemic happening just weeks before having this baby.”
Phelps and her husband, Geoff Phelps, who had prepared themselves and their two children for a swift handoff after the birth, now face the reality they may be holding onto this baby – indefinitely.
Phelps’ story is not unique, as Oregon is a popular international destination for gestational surrogacy, an industry banned in many states and countries.
Tabitha Koh, legal director for Northwest Surrogacy Center in Portland, which is not involved in Phelps’ surrogacy, said she...