Surrogate Motherhood- Times Three!
What an amazing story appeared this week on the cover of Israel’s most popular newspaper. A religious Israeli couple, Ophir and Avishag, become parents to TRIPLETS this week after 8 years of marriage and many, many miscarriages.
But what’s even more amazing is that Ophir (38) and Avishag (36) finally became parents through the kindness of a woman, identified only by her initial “A,” whom they didn’t even know before she became the surrogate mother of their children.
Avishag told Yediot Achronot this week, “When Ophir and I got married 8 years ago, we wanted many children. We are people who believe that children are a Divine blessing. Unfortunately, all of our attempts to have a child went up in smoke. I had many miscarriages…When this happens over and over again you ask yourself many questions, questions connected to religion, to faith, to what we hadn’t done exactly right.”
Under the halachic guidance of the rabbis at the Puah Institute, Ophir and Avishag decided to pursue the option of finding a surrogate mother to carry their biological child.
Avishag: “We wanted to find a surrogate mother who is observant, one of us, who has a similar way of life. We prayed that she would be religious, and we actually found a religious woman, 36 years old, like me. She is a divorced mother of 2 daughters. When Ophir and I first met her we couldn’t contain our excitement. We looked at one another and said, “That’s it, we found the person we are looking for. Hashem sent her to us…”
Ophir added: “”A” is an exceptional woman, one of a kind. The money wasn’t what motivated her, but rather the desire to perform an act of kindness.”
What nobody expected, Ophir, Avishag, and “A” alike, was that this would end up being such a difficult pregnancy– with triplets.
When their doctors pressured Ophir and Avishag to abort one of the triplets in order to increase the chances of survival for their remaining two children, Ophir and Avishag weren’t sure what to do, but it was “A” who put her foot down. None of the fetuses she was carrying would be aborted. Period.
While it is a tremendous kindness to carry the baby of a stranger who can’t do it herself, willingly submitting oneself to the difficulties and medical complications involved with carrying triplets is truly incredible, truly heroic.
And in the end, “A” was right to be stubborn. Born in their 33rd week, Ophir and Avishag’s triplets are tiny but perfectly healthy. Two girls and boy.
Mazal tov, Ophir and Avishag! May you merit to raise your three cuties to Torah, Chuppah, and Good Deeds!
Based on the article “Three in one Surrogate” by Dani Adeeno Ababa and Nisan Strauchler, Yediot Achronot, 6/6/10
Photos courtesy of Flickr.com user Brandie
BH
CHANA THANKS FOR A TERRIFIC ARTICLE!
shulamit/Puah
In the Torah it is written that if a woman starts to conceive and gives birth to a boy, then on the 8th day he should be circumcised. We must admit that the recipe for the male origin is not considered here, but we are talking about future surrogate mothers. It is alleged that in the case of replanting a non-Jewish surrogate mother, a fertilized Jewish ovule of a newborn should not be circumcised – it is a non-Jew.