Baby M Case

The Baby M case, decided in the 1980s, involved a legal dispute over surrogacy. A woman named Mary Beth Whitehead agreed to be a surrogate for William and Elizabeth Stern, using their sperm and her egg. After giving birth, she wanted to keep the baby, whom she named "Baby M." The court had to determine custody, balancing the interests of the biological parents and the surrogate. Ultimately, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that surrogacy agreements could be upheld but also recognized the surrogate's maternal rights, leading to a complex legal precedent in reproductive rights and surrogacy arrangements.