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All three women struggled to get pregnant.
By Megan Quinn — Written on Nov 17, 2022
In modern-day, families come together in various ways. What was once unconventional or unheard of is finally becoming more common.
A family doesn’t have to consist of a father, mother, and biological children. Those struggling with infertility or are unable to conceive children biologically know this fact all too well.
Many families dealing with these obstacles with having children turn to different options, including surrogacy.
Rebel Wilson welcomed her first baby via surrogate — but now she's getting backlash.
42-year-old Australian actress Rebel Wilson recently shared with fans that she welcomed her first child, daughter Royce Lillian, via surrogate after a long battle with infertility.
The new mother revealed the happy news on her Instagram. “I can’t even describe the love I have for her, she’s a beautiful miracle!” Wilson captioned the post featuring her newborn.
“I am forever grateful to everyone who has been involved… but particularly wanted to thank my gorgeous surrogate who carried her and birthed her with such grace and care. Thank you for helping me start my own family, it’s an amazing gift. The BEST gift!!”
While most people congratulated Wilson on the birth of her first child, there were those who criticized her choice to use a surrogate.
Some people believed that surrogacy is something celebrities feel entitled to and that it "exploits" women.
TikTok user @katiejgln expressed her disapproval of using surrogacy to start a family.
“After reading the news about Rebel Wilson welcoming her first child via a surrogate, I couldn’t help but think that it’s just bizarre we fully normalized rich people feeling so entitled to having a biological child they can go to any lengths necessary, including paying a woman, usually poor and underprivileged to risk her mental and physical well being for nine months to provide it to them,” the woman wrote in a textpost over her video.
“I’m sure this will get me a lot of hate, but this issue essentially boils down to one dilemma: should people have the right to *biological* children?” she captioned the post.
“And honestly, I don’t think they should. This is just a bizarre thing to be entitled to.”
Some TikTok users agreed with the woman’s statements.
“I agree completely. Watching it on the Kardashians is another level, incredibly dystopian,” one user commented.
Kim and Khloe Kardashian have both welcomed children via surrogates.
Some believed that surrogacy exploits women living in poverty who are struggling financially and have to do anything necessary to earn money.
“Surrogacy is illegal in my country. And in my opinion for a good reason,” one user shared. “[One reason being ] not exploiting people and treating women's wombs as something that can just be bought.”
“If you look at international surrogacy, for example, India, it’s very clear people need it to survive. It’s well-documented if you want to look it up,” another user wrote.
“It’s like the rich are too important to go through pregnancy and carry their own child,” another user believed.
The debate around the ethics of surrogacy is a heated one with no clear answers. Earlier this year, the war in Ukraine exacerbated this debate as women working as surrogates struggled to get clear information about whether they could leave the warzone while carrying children for non-Ukrainian parents.
Many argued that women in less economically well-off countries are vulnerable to exploitation by the surrogacy industry. However, this is not the fault of parents wanting to conceive.
Many have flocked to defend Rebel Wilson and surrogacy.
“Surrogacy is beautiful and you have no idea why she used one. Don’t be so quick to judge just because she is rich. Health plays a huge role,” one user pointed out.
“Rebel has PCOS so she might have fertility issues, I don’t think this is a fair take,” another user wrote.
Others noted that the surrogate most likely was not forced into carrying a child like some believed she was.
“Lol, girl do your research. They make sure surrogates are healthy and WELL paid it’s their job and they are kind enough to help someone who wants a baby,” one user commented.
“The surrogate offered her pregnancy as a service and was compensated. Why’s this a problem?” another user mentioned.
Wilson has opened up about her fertility struggles in the past.
Wilson told People Magazine in 2019 that she had seen a fertility doctor who suggested she would need to get “healthier” in order to carry a pregnancy.
“It's almost like I didn't think of my own needs. I thought of a future child's needs that really inspired me to get healthier,” Wilson said.
Additionally, the actress revealed she suffers from polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), which affects fertility in women.
Wilson eventually lost over 80 pounds and was healthy enough to fall pregnant.
Unfortunately, she received the devastating news that she had no viable embryos.
“I received some terrible news that all my harvested eggs up until that point had not survived being thawed," she shared.
"So I'd lost a huge amount of weight and been through 3 surgeries at that point and no viable embryos. It was devastating."
Recognizing how hard she’d fought to become a mother, Wilson turned to surrogacy.
"I knew that my desire to become a mother was so strong, that I needed to keep trying."
Wilson’s journey to motherhood struck a chord with those also battling infertility.
One woman documenting her infertility struggles on TikTok (@infertilitok) responded to insensitive comments regarding Wilson’s surrogacy and infertility.
“The commonality between my story and the story of Rebel is that we both have PCOS, as millions of women do,” said the woman, who has been trying to conceive for three and a half years and has suffered a miscarriage.
“That has contributed to fertility struggles.”
She says that people who criticize those who turn to surrogacy are uneducated and lack empathy for those dealing with infertility.
The woman shared several comments directed at Wilson, which consisted of, those that claimed she was “too lazy” to carry a pregnancy and “didn’t want to get fat again.”
“We have a f–king long way to go with changing the mentality that everyone who wants to have a baby can have one easily or without the support of medicine and science,” the woman captioned her video. “One day at a time, fellow infertility warriors.”
According to the World Health Organization, 60-80 million families internationally struggle with infertility.
It’s time we start supporting those who are working tirelessly to start a family and explore all the means possible to make it happen rather than criticize them for an already difficult and emotionally draining journey.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.