This Is Texas

Third-Party Reproduction in the Lone Star State

Authors

  • Heather Jacobson

Abstract

Using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and interview data, the history and experience of commercial surrogacy in the state of Texas—one of the first in the United States (US) to permit third-party pregnancy and legislate for the surrogacy contract enforcement—is examined. Findings reveal a neoliberal pro-industry stance in a state with a strong Evangelical base has enabled legislative support for surrogacy and strongly shapes the experience of Texas reproductive work. While these state characteristics have enabled a robust surrogacy industry in Texas, the current precarity of abortion care in the US has the potential to disrupt the surrogacy industry in new ways.

Keywords: surrogacy; Texas; third-party pregnancy; assisted reproduction.

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Amicus Curiae Vol 6 No 2 (2025): Series 2 cover

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Published

2025-02-27

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 2 (2025): Series 2

Section

Special Section: Surrogacy Beyond the Carceral: Culture, Law and Lived Experience, edited by Maya Unnithan & Maria Federica Moscati

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