Melissa Cook, surrogate mother who hit the headlines in 2015, presented her case to the Supreme Court: pregnant with triplets following a surrogacy agreement in California, the intended father asked her to abort one of the children. A legal battle ensued, also questioning the parental rights of the intended father following the birth of these three children. Having been turned down by the Federal courts, the case of Melissa Cook versus Chester Moore Jr. will not be heard by the Supreme Court. On 2 October, the Supreme Court upheld its decision not to examine the questions raised by Melissa Cook regarding surrogate mother status in California and children’s rights.
The refusal of the Supreme Court is not consistent with judicial precedence, but the Court refuses to get embroiled in the argument. According to The Federalist, this lamentably means that “the surrogacy industry” has won.
The Federalist, Margot Cleveland (3/10/2017)