Surrogate Mom Asked to Abort Triplets in Her Womb By Single Father in His 50s

Becoming a surrogate mom was a necessity for Melissa Cook, who has been trying to trace the triples she gave birth to more than six years ago after she found out that they would go to a disabled single father in his 50s, who initially wanted the babies aborted.

Cook told Daily Mail that there were red flags since she learned that the man who paid her to be a surrogate mom was a deaf and aging single man who lives in the basement of his parents. But she proceeded with surrogacy because she wanted to keep an open mind about a person with a disability.

Her eggs were fertilized from a 20-year-old sperm donor and they all communicated via email with Surrogacy International agency in California, the company she signed up for to be a surrogate mother.

Cook, who has four kids of her own, became a surrogate mom so she could pay the bills following her divorce. Her first surrogacy was a smooth experience but this case with the single father has had her crushed with guilt and worry.

Single Dad Want Her to Abort One of the Triplets

Aside from developing gestational diabetes and hypotension during this second surrogacy, Cook later learned that there were three viable embryos in her womb. The single dad emailed and convinced her to abort one of the babies because he wasn't sure he could take care of triplets.

The father, only identified as C.M. from Georgia, also asked Cook to visit the doctors less so he will not have to incur so many bills. Right there, Cook realized that the triplets will go to a parent who doesn't have the capacity of raising them.

When Cook asked the fertility doctors about the abortion, she was detailed a kind of procedure that was "something from a horror story." Apparently, the doctors could inject something that would kill one of the triplets in her womb but that baby would remain inside her until the twins' birth.

The surrogate mom did not get an abortion but her pregnancy filled her with anxiety and regret. She pleaded with the father that she could raise one of the triplets but he insisted that they are his kids.

Cook gave birth in 2016 but never saw the triplets because she had a C-section and there was a screen preventing her from seeing the babies. She was also not allowed to visit them even as they were in the hospital for three weeks.

The surrogate mom did not accept C.M.'s payment anymore but sued for her maternal rights to adopt the triplets, per People. She insisted to the court that the babies will be endangered by their father.

C.M. had a pending lawsuit against her for not abiding by his wishes to have the abortion and for attempting to back out of their contract. His lawyers, meanwhile, said that the triplets are developing well.

Cook Lost Her Case

Cook's allegations against C.M. as an unfit father was bolstered by C.M.'s own sister, who told the court that the triplets live in a house where they are exposed to second-hand smoke. The babies, who are now 6 years old, have been wearing soiled diapers as well.

C.M.'s lawyers, however, said that his sister had an agenda because of a family rift. They also tried to establish that there was a medical reason for the abortion as Cook's pregnancy was at risk

In 2018, Cook lost her bid to adopt the triplets. According to Court House News, the contract she signed as a surrogate mom negated her rights as the birth mother. The Appeals Court also upheld the earlier ruling that she gave up her parental rights the moment she signed the surrogacy contract.

Cook said that she's still haunted by thoughts of how the kids are doing today.