NEWS

The Society for Ethics in Egg Donation and Surrogacy (SEEDS) is devastated by the news that a woman lost her life helping bring a second child into a family. 

Michelle Reaves offered to carry a child for a family for whom she had already delivered their first child. Horrifyingly, she died giving birth to that second child.

Gestational carriers are selfless and compassionate women who know the joys of motherhood and have had positive pregnancy and childbirth experiences. But as many doctors will tell us, pregnancy and childbirth are not without risk. Fortunately, this is mercifully rare, but we are shaken to our core that a complication took Michelle’s life.

SEEDS is dedicated to the practice of careful, ethical family building practices. We know that even when everyone does everything right, tragedy can occur. We take these risks very seriously, at all times doing what is possible to protect the gestational carriers, their families, and the intended parents who await their babies.

Our hearts are broken for the parents for whom Michelle carried a baby, the children she carried, Michelle’s husband, children, and extended family. We support them in their grief and recommit to keeping surrogacy as safe as possible while recognizing pregnancy’s inherent risks.

To support the Reaves family,  please visit their gofundme.com page