In a new series of interviews for BabyMoon Family, I talk with Scott Blair, a married lawyer in New York City who completed his first journey to fatherhood in Mexico with his husband, David. Scott candidly shares details of his journey, what went well, what he would do differently, and what was challenging. If you are an intended father considering a surrogacy journey in Mexico, this article is for you.

Choosing where to embark on an international gestational surrogacy journey is challenging. There are many factors to consider in order to ensure an ethical journey. One factor could be the maternal mortality rate (MMR) of a country. In this article, I review the latest World Health Organization (WHO) and U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) MMR data and compare different destinations. The results may be surprising and should possibly factor into your decision on where to have your surrogacy journey.

With the trend of more queer intended fathers pursuing IVF and surrogacy outside the United States, I wanted to cover some of the negative news around journeys in these destinations. This is not meant to describe the universal experience of intended parents pursuing international surrogacy, but rather to highlight and inform regarding the potential challenges and risk with these types of journeys.