Fertility clinics will now be allowed to “ sell U.S. citizenship ” to foreign parents who have never even stepped foot on American soil. The citizenship regulations ushered in by the Obama administration altered the definition of the term “mother” to include surrogates who enter into a contract with any part in order to bring the other woman’s embryos to a full-term birth.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announcement details the surrogate mother phrasing change – and sparked a series of swift political backlash.
“Under this new policy, a mother who meets this definition but does not have a genetic relationship with her child (for example, she became pregnant through an egg donor) will… be able to transmit U.S. citizenship to her child, if she is a U.S. citizen and all other pertinent citizenship requirements are met.”
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announcement was made in conjunction with the Department of State. The U.S. citizenship regulation change document was entitled, “USCIS Expands the Definition of ‘Mother’ and ‘Parent’ to Include Gestational Mothers Using Assisted Reproductive Technology.”
The American citizenship regulation change essentially means that a female United States citizen can be hired by a fertility clinic to become pregnant with a baby whose biological parents live anywhere else in the world. Critics of the Obama administration citizenship change maintain that the baby will immediately become both an American citizen and an “anchor baby,” potentially allowing the biological parents to come live in the United States.
Fertility clinics may experience a lucrative boon due to the new surrogate mother citizenship regulation, according to the Daily Caller . Fertility services marketed to foreign customers could now include a much large price tag since the clinic will also be delivering American citizenship with the little bundle of joy.
Last year, a Reuters report stated that some wealthy individuals in China were eager to pay American surrogates $120,000 to give birth to their baby in the United States – as a means of garnering U.S. citizenship.
The new fertility citizenship is not the only possible immigration -related business expected to thrive in America. USA Baby Care’s website has published exactly why clients of the business routinely travel from Taiwan and China to California, according to the Los Angeles Times .
“Congratulations! Arriving in the U.S. means you’ve already given your child a surefire ticket for winning the race,” the text reportedly reads in Chinese. “We guarantee that each baby can obtain a U.S. passport and related documents.”
USA Baby Care is reportedly just one of a multitude of companies offering “maternity hotels” in the southern region of the state. Pregnant foreign women pay about $20,000 to stay at the lodging facilities during the last months of pregnancy and then ultimately give birth in the United States before obtaining a U.S. passport for their child.
What do you think about the possibility of American fertility clinics selling U.S. citizenship?
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