Jews, I have a question regarding surrogate mothers and Jewish law?

Please only answer if you're Jewish and know what you're talking about...My husband and I are a young couple, I'm 21, and we're Jewish. We really want to have a child of our own. I have Cystic Fibrosis though (a disease that severely affects my lung function and digestion as well) and I've talked to my doctor about having a baby and the doctor said that in my case it would be a big toll on my body to carry and birth a baby. I'm in frail health, often get infections, and I will have to have a double lung transplant eventually...I'm thinking of having my own baby by having a surrogate mother though, using my own egg and my husband's own sperm, so genetically it would be our biological child, it would simply be carried to term by another woman. What does Jewish law say about this? Does the surrogate mother have to be Jewish? If I allowed the embryo to be implanted into my non-Jewish best friend (who's willing to do this and agree to my terms), would my child be considered a Jew by Orthodox standards? We don't live in Israel, we live in New York, but I just thought I'd post this here.

We weren't raised very religious, but we want to raise our child to be observant and attend Jewish schools/yeshiva.Jews, I have a question regarding surrogate mothers and Jewish law?
You need to discuss this with a posek- it is a question that is highly controversial and what position is adopted with very much depend on which posek your Rabbi follows.



the best thing to do is to ask your local Orthodox Rabbi and let him discuss it with the local Beis Din ro give you a ruling if there is a set one in the community.



You could send a sheilah directly to the Posek for your community- if you are Ashkenzi the current posek haDor is considered to be Rav Elyashic at the moment. How ling he will take to answer the sheila I don;t know- but it will be faster if asked via a Beis Din than just sent by yourself.
hopefully, you got the right answer, that the mother in Jewish law is the birth mother. The surrogate must be Jewish. If she was not, you may adopt and convert the child, thereby becoming it's mother in every true (and halachik) sence of the word.

Mazal Tov, and i wish you the best.

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Jews, I have a question regarding surrogate mothers and Jewish law?
Hannah I wish you the best of luck, whatever the outcome. I hope you will one day have that child you want so badly, and that your health will improve so you can enjoy your life and your family. I will pray for that for you. What a wonderful mother you will make from the sound of it, and what an amazing friend you have. God bless you, and your husband, and your future child. x
If you ask in the religion and spiritual section, you may get more answers concerning what you care to know about.
Im so sorry to hear your post and wish you everything of the best.

Even though Im Jewish, I don't know much about surrogacy.But what I do know from a good Jewish friend of mine who adopted 3 kids, 2 out of the 3 kids from non Jewish back grounds and they are 100% Jewish.And since they will be using your eggs, the child will be 100% yours, you are in the end the childs biological mom and real mom.There are also many many cases of adopted children in Israel , from non Jewish parents and once the adoption is finalized the children are automatically Jewish.I just wanted to add then when your baby is born, you will put your details on the birth certificate and not your friend.You are also very lucky to have such good friends.
Please contact Machon Puah http://www.puahonline.org/

before you do anything. This is THE address for you at this point in time. They are experts in the field and will help you all you want and be with you every step of the way. They have an address in NYC. http://www.puahonline.org/contactpo.php

(Although I am familiar with the Torah position on the issues that you've raised, it's preferable that you contact the most knowledgeable people rather than this forum.)

" . . . there is debate as to whether the status of the child is based on the genetic mother, the woman carrying the child, or both. If the birth mother is halachically considered the mother, and the surrogate mother is not Jewish, conversion of the baby would be needed. A Jewish surrogate mother should be single and not related to either the genetic mother or father so as not to raise concerns of adultery or incest. With a Jewish surrogate, the procedure cannot be done secretly. The child will not be allowed to marry future offspring of the surrogate mother, and thus needs to know who she is."

http://www.jewishwomenshealth.org/articl鈥?/a>

Best of luck with everything. B'shaah tovah, may you hear good news soon.

I live in Jerusalem. If you need info. or ever want people here to daven for you, I can be contacted offline.
I'm sure others will provide better answers than myself. I do recall that we Jews are to live by the Torah not die by the Torah. Therefore, I would assume that it would be allowed. Under the right circumstances, abortion is 100% allowed.



Jewish law would not have anything specifically written about this practice because it is fairly new. Even still, the Talmud is pliable when it comes to modern times.



I have heard claims that if it is a non-surrogate mother, then your child would need to be converted, which I don't understand.



Here is a link.



http://www.adoption-surrogacy.com/articl鈥?/a>



It talks about Judaism and surrogate mothers at the bottom.
What a racist concern. !! it chills me to the bone ! . do a lot of jews think like this ? a 'jew 'womb' or a 'non- jew womb ' . wow, you put the nazis to shame. maybe you shouldn't have kids at all.
I am no jew but I was moved by your question so, here I am.

I am Norwegian so I think that you and me live in different galaxies (lulz!) but as a woman to woman I believe the most important thing is to have a child no matter what stamps the jews put on the skin of this baby.

If I were you I would not care about anything, except of my child.

So please Hannah, forget that middle age superstition and do whatever it takes to bring this child in our world.

It is almost the same as being a body donor. Once you do it you don't care if your lungs go to a jew or an Angolan patient.

I hope you jewish people start donating organs one day like us so people with big problems can benefit from this.

Stop thinking "race" and think more like "human".

You can also try to adopt one of the thousand orphan Palestinian children the jews created in Palestine.

I am sure that God will help you on this.

I will pray for your health.

bye bye