The Baby M Case

The Baby M case, decided in the 1980s, involved a legal dispute over surrogacy. Mary Beth Whitehead, the surrogate mother, gave birth to Baby M and wanted to keep her, while the biological father, William Stern, and his wife sought to adopt the child. The New Jersey courts ruled that the surrogacy contract was invalid and that the best interest of the child was paramount. The case raised ethical and legal questions about surrogacy, parental rights, and the role of contracts in family matters, making it pivotal in the discussion surrounding reproductive technology and family law.