Minnesota Lawmaker pushes back against paid surrogacy: "The renting out of wombs for the creation of people to be treated like commodities, to be bought and sold"

(St. Paul, MN) -- GOP lawmakers in Minnesota are pushing back hard against a bill that would put together a framework for families to pay for surrogacy services. 

Surrogacy is the act in which a couple or family has difficulties or is sometimes unable to have children, so they seek the help of another individual to carry the child in lieu of the couple. However, the Senate's  SF3504 and House's HF3567 would allow for people to enter official surrogacy agreements, with the possibility of payments for the services of surrogacy. A Minnesota lawmaker says he is not against surrogacy, but is deeply against paying people to do it. 

"There is a number of families who have taken advantage of [surrogacy] to have and raise children, and there is nothing wrong with that. What is wrong is paying people to do it [...] A vote for the bill, which would enable exactly that; commercial, for profit surrogacy, the renting out of wombs for the creation of people to be treated like commodities, to be bought and sold. You are on the same side of history as some of the worst villains we point to when it comes to the original sin of the country." said Minnesota Representative Walter Hudson, referring to slavery.

Minnesota Representative Walter Hudson spoke with the Flag's What's on your Mind about the bill. Hudson says the proposed bill will encourage human and sex trafficking if it is passed. The Minnesota Family Council has equated the bill to slavery in previous discussions with lawmakers - through the buying and selling of children. 

Minnesota currently has no laws regulating surrogacy, according to Circle Surrogacy Minnesota.