Would-be Surrogates and Couples Seeking Babies Still Face Hurdles in NJ

by Andrew Kitchenman, NJSpotlight.com

When Joanne Gartner decided she wanted to serve as the gestational carrier for another couple earlier this year, she didn’t realize that it would be more complicated because she lives in New Jersey.

The 25-year-old West Deptford woman had the idea in the back of her mind since watching a rerun of an episode of the TV show “Army Wives,” and decided after having a son of her own with her husband Mark that she wanted to carry another family’s child.

Having her own baby, Jackson, who’s now 19 months old, “was an awesome feeling,” Gartner said. “I’m not ready for another one, but I know that someone else wants a baby and can’t have one, so why can’t I help them?”

But she soon found out that New Jersey can be more complicated than other states for surrogates – a situation that would have been clarified if a bill passed by the Legislature last year had become law. But Gov. Chris Christie vetoed the measure, expressing reservations about its effect on “the traditional beginnings of a family.”

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