Michigan Decriminalizes Paid Surrogacy, Protects Families Using IVF

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivers her State of the State address to a joint session of the House and Senate, Jan. 25, 2023, at the state Capitol in Lansing, Mich. Whitmer will call for in

Michigan has officially decriminalized paid surrogacy, becoming the last state in the United States to do so. Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed the Michigan Family Protection Act, a package of bills aimed at safeguarding families utilizing surrogacy and in vitro fertilization (IVF).

At an event in Royal Oak, Michigan, Governor Whitmer described the act as a 'package of common sense' designed to protect families born through IVF and ensure equal treatment for LGBTQ+ parents. Surrogacy, where one person carries a child for intended parents, has become a vital option for families facing infertility and same-sex couples.