British surrogate left holding the baby

A surrogacy arrangement between a British woman and an American couple has broken down, leaving the surrogate pregnant with twins which are genetically unrelated to her. The American couple who commissioned Helen Beasley to act as surrogate mother for them pulled out of the deal after Beasley refused to reduce the twin pregnancy to one.

Beasley says that her contract with the couple included an agreement that any fetal reduction would take place before the 12th week of pregnancy. She informed them of the two fetuses at eight weeks, but the couple did not book a fetal reduction until the 13th week. Beasley felt this to be too late and refused to undergo the procedure.

The couple now face a legal action brought by Helen Beasley, who is suing for emotional distress and breach of contract. She is also seeking to remove parental rights from the couple, so that the babies can be adopted by someone else.