I was going to skip this prompt as I've always thought surrogacy is a serious matter that shouldn't be treated lightly in anyway. And I know I've got no experience or seen anyone do it except in the movies which I think are just scripted with no actual reality feel in it. So many things are put in place with rules or agreements.
Where there are no rules, many things can go wrong and it's same for this case. For me, there has to be a very good reason for a couple to go for surrogacy method of having their own child. And it's important they consider thoroughly, who the surrogate mother would be to avoid future worries or as the movies show, future blackmails.
The process of having a child is one I've never experienced myself but from others and the words of mothers who have shared, nine months and delivery time not an easy one for the mother. The most admirable part of the pregnancy to me is where the mother bonds with the baby in her womb. And I heard it happens to most mothers.
So yeah, it's bound to happen to some surrogate mothers as they carry the child for the nine months. I remember a movie I saw where the surrogate mother couldn't part with the child after birth, she began to request for her child's custody to be given back to her. In such a case, it will be hard for the couple if no prior agreement.
I believe a couple going for the surrogate option are desperate for a child, so having to meet with a surrogate mother who later wants to take the child is definitely going to take a toll on them. This is the reason for clear contracts of boundaries and decisions over the child before she takes in for the nine months to countdown.
I believe with good agreement, having the signatures of the parties involved. Even emotions can't override it easily. Although I'll understand that some surrogate mothers wouldn't want to part with the child after but an agreement is an agreement, she had her reasons for agreeing to the contract, she should be reminded about it.
So if I am to give a response on if a surrogate mother have a say over the child after delivery, it's totally dependent on the agreement made before the contract was sealed. I believe most couple would prefer not having the surrogate mother around the child, for the mental and emotional health of the child so he or she can grow fine.
A surrogate mother from beginning must have had no plans to have a child or has her own children already or have no plans to have kids at all, I believe they fall in one of these categories. So it should be dependent on the contract signed for them to have a say on the child or not. But I think it should only be the couple over the child.
Images used are AI generated.