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QUESTIONS EXPLORED
1.
STATISTICS - What are the most recent statistics on surrogac
y, both nationally and by
state?
There are virtually no statistics on how many women and families are i
nvolved in the
surrogacy market. The only numbers we do have exclusively describe ge
stational surrogacy
IVF cycles, and give no indication of the prevalence of traditional surr
ogacy. Nor do
statistics describing IVF cycles, rather than patients, paint an accur
ate picture of the
demographic characteristics of surrogate workers. Nevertheless, the
available reports from
the CDC and the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) cl
early show that the
number of infants born to gestational surrogates almost doubled from 2004 to 2008, from
738 babies born to nearly 1,400. These numbers, while only skimming the surf
ace of the
entire surrogacy market, will surely continue to rise. In the
face of this growing industry, it is
imperative that accurate data collection be initiated to understand the scope
and
implications of surrogacy in the United States..