America’s Baby Business! Surrogate talks Rewards and Risks

America’s Baby Business has returned to the global spotlight after one of Germany’s most powerful politicians lost his leadership position over the deeply divisive issue of surrogacy.

Jens Spahn, the parliamentary leader of Germany’s governing conservative bloc, resigned after revealing that he and his husband, Daniel Funke, had become parents through a surrogate in the United States. Surrogacy is prohibited in Germany, and Spahn’s own Christian Democratic Union has firmly opposed legalizing the practice. Critics accused him of using his wealth and access to bypass rules his party supports at home.

The scandal has reignited a wider international debate: Is surrogacy a compassionate and self-determined way to create families—or a commercial industry that exposes women to exploitation, medical danger and legal uncertainty?

Former surrogate Sunshine Hanson believes it can be a beautiful experience when women are properly protected.

America’s Baby Business Creates Families

Hanson, a former high-school teacher and co-founder of the organization Surrogacy Is, carried four children during three pregnancies. She first delivered twins for a same-sex couple from Australia. She later carried a boy and a girl for an American family.

For Hanson, surrogacy was not defined by loss or separation. It was about giving people the family they feared they might never have.

“When you see the parents with their baby, you don’t feel like you’re giving anything up,” Hanson told America Report. “You feel like you’ve succeeded. You’ve done what you set out to do.”

She said one of the greatest misconceptions is that a surrogate inevitably becomes emotionally attached to the baby she carries. Instead, the emotional investment is in the intended parents and the shared goal of completing their family.

“All I wanted was to see them hold their baby,” Hanson said. “That is more rewarding than any compensation could ever be.”

An Emotional Delivery

The birth of the Australian couple’s twins became one of the most powerful moments of Hanson’s life.

Her husband, Kyle, had initially been afraid that she would become attached to the babies and struggle after giving birth. But when the twins arrived by cesarean section, their intended fathers were allowed into the operating room.

“Everybody was crying,” Hanson recalled—including the parents, nurses, anesthesiologists and her husband.

For Kyle, the delivery changed everything. He finally understood that the experience was not about surrendering children. It was about creating a family.

Hanson now watches the children she carried grow up with their families. Even without regular contact, she said, she would still know that they were deeply wanted and loved.

America’s Baby Business: The Money Behind Surrogacy

Money also played a role in Hanson’s decision. She and her husband were struggling financially and wanted to purchase a home. After watching a friend have a positive experience as a surrogate—and earn substantial compensation—Hanson decided it was something she could also do.

A complete surrogacy journey in the United States now typically costs between $180,000 and $200,000, according to Hanson. Depending on her experience and additional benefits, the carrier may receive between $70,000 and $120,000.

But Hanson rejects the idea that women should enter America’s Baby Business because they are desperate.

“The compensation is deserved, and it is helpful for your family,” she said. “But it should not be something you are counting on to survive.”

Candidates generally undergo medical and psychological screening, drug testing and a review of their pregnancy history. They then examine profiles and choose which intended parents they want to help. Contracts can run from 30 to 80 pages and regulate compensation, healthcare, parentage and responsibilities during pregnancy.

Why the Spahn Case Matters

Spahn’s decision illustrates why the United States has become a destination for international intended parents. German law prohibits doctors and agencies from arranging surrogacies, although parents are generally not barred from raising a child born through surrogacy abroad.

Supporters argue that regulated U.S. arrangements offer clearer contracts, medical screening and legal recognition than many alternatives. Critics counter that access depends heavily on wealth and that paying another woman to carry a child raises profound ethical questions.

The controversy has now reopened Germany’s political debate. Some lawmakers are calling for another examination of reproductive law, while Spahn’s CDU continues to support the ban.

Hanson’s position is clear: A legal and carefully regulated system is safer than forcing families into secrecy or poorly controlled foreign markets.

Protection Is Essential

Although Hanson’s own experience was overwhelmingly positive, she warns that surrogacy can become dangerous when proper protections are absent.

“Surrogacy is not something you want to DIY,” she said.

Intended parents should deposit the entire expected cost of compensation, insurance and medical care into an independent escrow account before treatment begins. If the money is not secured and the parents or agency run out of funds, the carrier may be left without payment and facing enormous hospital bills.

Comprehensive insurance is equally important. When Hanson was placed on bed rest during her twin pregnancy, the intended parents covered her lost wages and paid for additional help at home.

The laws also vary dramatically between American states. International families therefore need attorneys who understand both the law in the parents’ home country and the rules where the carrier lives.

When the System Fails

Several cases illustrate the risks.

Experienced U.S. surrogate Nia Trent-Wilson reportedly suffered severe complications that required doctors to remove her uterus and fallopian tubes. She was later left facing approximately $183,000 in medical bills after a financial dispute involving the intended parents.

In Canada, intended parents sued a surrogate after she refused their request to terminate a pregnancy following concerns about possible fetal abnormalities. The dispute raised fundamental questions about whether contractual expectations can ever override the medical autonomy of a pregnant woman.

Hanson also described a Florida case in which an intended father from China allegedly failed to collect children born through surrogacy for approximately three years. The carrier reportedly cared for them and later sought custody. America Report has not independently confirmed every detail, but Hanson said the case demonstrated why intended parents must be screened just as carefully as carriers.

Regulation Instead of Prohibition

Hanson considers the United States one of the safest countries for gestational surrogacy, although also one of the most expensive.

She believes agencies should be carefully vetted, every carrier should have independent legal counsel, medical decisions must remain with the pregnant woman and all expected costs should be secured before treatment begins.

“When it is done correctly and everyone’s humanity and autonomy are respected, it is a beautiful way to build a family,” Hanson said.

She argues that countries such as Germany should study tightly regulated models rather than rely entirely on prohibition. Without a legal route, she warned, intended parents may travel to jurisdictions with weaker medical, legal and financial protections—potentially encouraging exploitation or a black market.

The Spahn controversy has placed America’s Baby Business under an international microscope. But Hanson’s experience shows both sides of the debate: Surrogacy can create extraordinary joy and lifelong bonds—provided that the women carrying the children are fully informed, financially protected and always in control of their own bodies.