近年来,茱莉亚·罗伯茨、詹妮弗·洛佩兹等好莱坞的大牌影星们回归本性,开始养儿育女。不过,如今怀孕生子不再是过去传统的母体受精、十月怀胎,随着新科技的应用,试管婴儿、代孕生子等方式应运而生。
这厢,凭借《欲望都市》红遍全球的时尚教主莎拉·杰西卡·派克通过代孕而生的双胞胎女儿呱呱坠地;那厢,生下女儿,身材却毫不变样的陈慧琳也被卷入用“代孕妈妈”产女的疑云。一时间,代孕,这个20世纪70年代兴起的医学科技再次进入人们的焦点。
其实,代孕作为医学进步而言固然是可喜的,毕竟它为不孕不育的患者提供了一线孕育儿女的希望,但是当它为明星所运用,越来越成为一种潮流,甚至形成一种产业时,它的道德性、伦理性也渐渐受到质疑。究竟,十月怀胎的母亲竟然与自己没有任何血缘关系,而亲生母亲却不用经历孕育生命的过程,这种与伦理、常识相违的行为能不能被广泛地接受,我们将继续关注。
发音：美式发音 语速：160词/分钟 使用方法：泛听+一分钟演讲
Host: This week Sarah Jessica Parker and her husband Matthew Broderick revealed they’re expecting twins with the help of a surrogate mother. The Sex and the City star and her husband join a long line of celebrities—and regular folks—who’ve chosen this path to parenthood. As NBC’s Rehema Ellis reports, surrogacy has become a booming industry.
(News Report)
The star of Sex and the City and her real-life leading man have joined a growing list of the rich-and-famous expanding their families through surrogacy, but it’s not just for celebrities. Michael and Melissa Mussman’s six-month old son Sean was born through a surrogate mother using a 2)donor egg and the father’s 3)sperm.
Melissa Mussman: I had gone through 4)radiation treatments and really didn’t know what the inside looked like…there was a lot of damage done to that area. I just didn’t want to transfer an 5)embryo and then 6)miscarry.
Surrogacy became a widespread option for parenting in the 1970s with 7)in vitro fertilization. There are no precise numbers on how many occur each year, because despite the celebrity 8)fanfare around surrogacy, not everyone tells. Several states, including New York, New Jersey, Michigan, and the District of Columbia refuse to recognize surrogacy contracts at all. That’s why the Mussmans, a Brooklyn couple, hired a surrogate in Illinois, where the practice is recognized.
Michael Mussman: In the state of New York, it is illegal to compensate someone to carry a baby for you.
Parker and Broderick’s twin daughters are expected to be born this summer through surrogacy, a practice that’s giving more and more people a way to parent.
Host: And joining us this morning are some women who have had children through surrogacy. You probably recognize Joan Lunden, the longest-running host of early morning television, currently hosting Health Corner on Lifetime. She’s also the mother of two sets of twins through a surrogate—Max and Kate, and Kim and Jack. Also joining us is Surrogate Attorney Melissa Brisman, who had three children with the help of a surrogate. Ladies, great to have you, good morning to both of you.
Lunden and Brisman: Nice to be here.
Host: Joan, you were one of the first to talk about this publicly, and I wonder at the time if you thought there would be some kind of 9)backlash, or if people would….you point out people said “Oh, she must be selfish for having another woman wanting to carry the baby.”
主持人:这周,莎拉·杰西卡·帕克和她丈夫马修·布鲁德里克透露说他们正在等待一对通过代孕母亲产下的双胞胎的到来。这位凭借《欲望都市》出名的影星和她的丈夫也因此加入了一长串名人的行列——当然还有普通人——选择通过代孕的方式来孕育自己的宝宝。(美国)全国有线电视台的雷赫玛·艾利斯报道说,代孕产子正迅速发展成为一个新兴
产业。
(新闻报道)
这位《欲望都市》的影星和她现实生活中的男主角最近也选择通过代孕的方式来迎接新的家庭成员,成为不断壮大的选择代孕产子的富豪名流队伍中的一员,不过,代孕并不是富豪名流们的专利。迈克尔·马斯曼和梅丽莎·马斯曼刚满6个月的儿子肖恩,就是通过他父亲的精子和一颗捐赠的卵子结合,并由一位代孕妈妈孕育出来的。
梅丽莎·马斯曼:我曾接受过放射治疗,所以不知道子宫内部究竟怎么样了……那块区域有大片的损伤。我不想把一个胚胎植入体内,到时却遭遇流产。
与试管婴儿一样,20世纪70年代,代孕产子也迅速发展成为孕育生命的另一个途径。尽管关于明星名流寻求代孕产子的新闻不断,普通人却选择缄口不言,因此,也没有一个确切的数字表明每年有多少人选择了代孕这种方式。包括纽约州、新泽西州、密西根州以及哥伦比亚特区在内的一些州份并不承认代孕合同的合法性。这正是这对居住在(纽约)布鲁克林区的马斯曼夫妇要去伊利诺斯州雇佣一个代孕妈妈的原因,因为代孕行为在伊利诺斯州是得到法律认可的。
迈克尔·马斯曼:在纽约州,雇佣他人来为你孕育孩子是违法的。
帕克和布鲁德里克的双胞胎女儿将在今年夏天通过代孕妈妈的肚子而诞生,而代孕产子也为更多的人提供了另一条成为父母的途径。
主持人:今天与我们聊天的是几位通过代孕的途径而拥有自己骨肉的母亲。你们大概还记得琼安·兰登,晨间节目资历最深的主持人,目前在Lifetime频道主持《健康广角》节目。她同时也是两对双胞胎——马克思和凯特、金和杰克的母亲,她的孩子都通过代孕的方式诞生于世。另外一位嘉宾是代孕机构经纪人梅丽莎·布里斯曼,她的三个孩子也通过代孕妈妈而生。女士们,很高兴你们来到这里,早上好。
兰登与布里斯曼:很高兴能到这儿来。
主持人:琼安,你是最早公开讨论这件事的人,我很好奇,在当时,你是否想过会听到一些反对的声音,或者说人们会……你会听到人们说:“噢,她真是自私,竟然让另一个女人帮她生孩子。”
兰登:呃……对我来说,生养孩子这件事恰恰是最不自私的表现,而且,你知道,到了今时今日,我们这一代已经很难再成功怀孕了。所以这些(指代孕生子)就是医学神话,它是多么美好,它为人们提供了可继续生育的选择余地。我之所以会(公开)讨论这个是因为,很显然,这个事情迟早会被发现,另外,你知道,我们经常从新闻里听到那些悲伤的故事、很凄凉的结局,我希望能对这种情况作出一些改变。我们的经历就很愉快。如果你通过正确的渠道,认真做好研究工作,那你就会得到,你知道,一些很好的合法的建议和帮助让你能在预计时间之前就拟好合同,你会得到一个很好的经历,最终迎来你的宝宝,而这就是一切的过程,这就是孕育生命。
主持人:那些……那些……我们现在谈论的这几位名人,如丹尼斯·奎德夫妇、安吉拉·贝赛特夫妇,他们(通过代孕产子)是对这件事(代孕)有所帮助,还是有所伤害呢,你怎么看?
Lunden: Um…to me the having of children is the 10)antithesis of being selfish, and, you know, these days we are a generation that is having trouble 11)conceiving. So these are medical miracles that are wonderful, that give 12)viable options to people. I talked about it because, quite clearly, I knew I couldn’t come in under the radar with this one, but also because, you know, you usually hear on the news only the sad stories, the terrible endings, and I wanted there to be some 13)counterbalance. We had a wonderful experience. If you do it right, you do your homework, and you get, you know, good legal help so that contracts are drawn up ahead of time, you can have a wonderful experience and end up with the babies, and that’s what it’s all about, it’s parenting.
Host: Have…have…have the celebrities we’re talking about now, the Dennis Quaids, the Angela Bassetts, has that helped the cause or hurt it, do you think?
Lunden: Well maybe it brings it out so it’s talked about, certainly I’m here today, you asked me to be here today. The only thing I worry about is this 14)sensationalistic 15)scrutiny of how they go about it. They ask questions that, quite frankly, your neighbor shouldn’t ask you, let alone the public who doesn’t even know you, and I always worry that it might discourage a woman out there from using a viable option that’s available to her, so that’s why I always want to bring it back to center. This is about creating families, and if she was getting a heart transplant, or a liver transplant, we wouldn’t be questioning her motives!
Host: Melissa, when a young couple comes to you and looks for advice…I mean this is a process, right? (Brisman: Absolutely!) It’s gonna cost them a fair amount of money and it’s gonna take a lot of time, (Brisman: Absolutely!) so what do you tell them?
Brisman: Well, the first thing I go over is the whole process and how emotional it is, because it’s really not usually a question of whether or not you can have a baby this way because it is a viable option, but it comes with a host of emotions, and things, and all sorts of people that need to be put together…It really does take a small village, but it is a viable option. And lay people do it all the time in our office, and we find over 200 carriers a year for couples, and they’re all your normal everyday couples, with the exception of a few celebrities that come through, and they’re no different than anybody else. A celebrity who comes, and an ordinary couple, they want the same thing; they want a family.
Host: But Joan, you know, you know, to some degree it’s still controversial, because it’s legal aspects wrapped up in emotional aspects, right? If the…if the 16)gestational carrier wants to reduce if it’s twins, that’s gonna be her right, yes?
Lunden: Yeah, now you just hit on something, though. I think the safest way to go, for anybody out there that’s considering it, is having a gestational carrier who is not related, so that she’s not related to the baby, and yes, you have to decide everything up front. If you put in more than one embryo are you going to do selective reduction? You both have to agree. How much contact are you going to have during the pregnancy? And afterwards, I mean, our surrogate Deborah Bolig, she was out in Ohio, one of the states that’s, you know, good for this. She’s a part of our lives. You know, she’ll get flowers…
Host: You still keep in contact?
Lunden: Oh on Mother’s Day coming up she’s getting flowers from us! She is very much a part of our family, and I want our children to know her and to…to be thankful for what she did.
兰登:嗯,可以说他们让事情浮出水面,所以它也引起了广泛的讨论,当然,这也是我今天到这里来,你邀请我到这里来的原因。我唯一担心的是那些人(指舆论或人们)会对这件事的进展进行刨根挖底的调查。他们会问一些,我坦白地说,你的邻居绝不可能开口问你的问题,更别提那些对你丝毫不了解的公众。我常常会担心这会打击女人的勇气,使她们打消采取这些可行的途径来孕育自己孩子的勇气。这也是我为什么一直要把它(代孕)带回舆论中心的原因。这事关建立一个家庭的问题,如果她接受的是心脏,或者肝脏移植手术,那么我们都不会质疑她的
动机!
主持人:梅丽莎,当一对年轻的夫妇来找你,希望你能提供一些建议……我是说,这是一个过程,对吧?(布里斯曼:完全正确!)他们需要支付一笔不菲的费用,而且耗时颇长,(布里斯曼:没错!)那你都是怎么跟他们沟通的呢?
布里斯曼:嗯,我跟他们说的第一点就是代孕的整个过程,并告知他们这是一个相当情绪化的过程,因为这不是简简单单一个你能不能有孩子的问题,事实已经证明它(代孕)是可行的,但它是一个需要把情绪、方方面面的事情以及各种各样的人都结合在一起考虑的事情……它的确需要动员很多东西,但它是一个可行的选择。在我们的办公厅里经常可见许多普通人,而每年我们也找到超过200个代孕妈妈人选为这些夫妇们提供服务。这些人都是普通夫妇,只有少数几对名人夫妇,但他们也与其他人无异。一个名人,或者一对普通夫妇所要求的东西都是一样的,他们想要一个家庭。
主持人:但琼安,你知道,你知道,从某个角度来讲,它(代孕)仍然充满争议,除了法律层面之外还有情感层面的东西,对不?如果……如果代孕妈妈得知她必须怀的是双胞胎而不想接受的话,这也是她的权利,是吗?
兰登:对,你说到了重点。我想对于那些在考虑代孕生子这个方式的人来说,最安全的方法就是找一个跟你没有任何关系的人来孕育你的宝宝,这样她就跟宝宝没有任何关联了。当然了,你必须事先把所有事情都考虑清楚。如果你把一颗以上的受精卵植入体内,你是否要作选择删减呢?你们双方的意见都必须一致才行。在她(代孕妈妈)怀孕期间,你们之间的联系密度有多高?到最后,我是说,我们的代孕妈妈黛博拉·勃利格,她住在俄亥俄州,那是少数几个,你知道,把代孕行为合法化的州份之一,她现在成为我们生活的一部分。你知道,她还会收到花……
主持人:你们还保持联系?
兰登:哦,在母亲节到来的时候她还能收到我们送的花!她现在成了我们家的一份子,我希望我的孩子们都认识她,都能……对她所做的一切心存感激。
道德的两难抉择:代孕究竟对不对?
Opinion 1
From what I’ve heard, you have to be a millionaire to go through with it. If you are loaded, go for it. If you are strapped for cash, you’ll have to find another option.
Tips: 代孕产子虽然越来越流行,但毕竟费用不菲,并不是所有人都承担得起。对于那些富得流油(be loaded)的人来说,代孕自然是选择之一,但对于那些钱根紧缩、日子过得紧巴巴(be strapped for cash)的人而言,恐怕还得另找出路了。
Opinion 2
Look at these celebrities. They don’t want to take time off work or ruin their careers by getting preggers, so they get someone to do it for them. If they are so busy, they shouldn’t be having kids.
Tips: 普通夫妇选择代孕产子的最大动机可能是不孕不育,相比而言,名人们的动机就复杂得多。许多明星是为了不影响自己的演艺事业而放弃十月怀胎生子的机会,转而寻求代孕妈妈帮忙。get preggers = get pregnant。preggers是英国俚语,表示怀孕的。不过说话者显然对这种行为不甚赞成,她认为,既然明星们那么忙,那他们根本就不应该养孩子。
Opinion 3
Of course it’s right! Surrogacy is giving children to couples who wouldn’t be able to have children otherwise. If you don’t agree, you need your head read.
Tips: 作为一项医学进步,代孕的确给那些无法生育的人带来了福音。这位说话者甚至偏激地说,谁不同意这个说法,他的脑子一定出问题了(you need your head read)。“read”这个词在这里表示扫描脑电波的意思,因此,“you need your head read/examined”也就通常意译为“你脑子出问题了/脑子进水了”等意思。
Opinion 4
There are so many children who need homes already in the world. Infertile couples should be adopting.
Tips: 这位说话者认为这个世界上需要家庭温暖的孩子已经够多了,无法生育的夫妇们(infertile couples)认养孩子就好啦,又何必苦苦强求于代孕生子呢?
Opinion 5
I read about that singer, Clay Aiken. He got his friend to put a bun in the oven for him. Now the gays think they can start a family. It’s not natural.
Tips: 《美国偶像》第二季亚军克莱·艾肯早前大方承认自己是“男同性恋(gay)”,并通过试管婴儿的方式把自己的精子和他好朋友、音乐制作人Jaymes Foster的卵子结合。如今他已经拥有自己的儿子,开始了他的家庭生活。“to put a bun in the oven”就是使某人受孕的意思,多数用于非自然受孕的情
况下。
Opinion 6
These surrogate mothers are poor women who are getting knocked up for cash. It’s absolute exploitation!
Tips: 我们关注代孕,关注那些寻求代孕帮助的群体,却很少关注提供代孕服务的这一群代孕妈妈。这类人一般都是为了生计(be knocked up for cash)而出卖肚皮的人,比如现在印度出现的代孕妈妈群体,她们提供代孕服务的收入可达到普通人年收入的10倍。不过相比起她们必须承担的艰辛和付出的情感来说,这点收入就显得微不足道了。怪不得说话者要大呼“这真是剥削啊!”(It’s absolute exploitation!)
Opinion 7
Sometimes adoption has too many hoops to jump through. Everyone has the right to have a child that is biologically theirs. Surrogacy is making genuine, loving families.
Tips: 前面有人提到领养,其实领养的过程也是条款多多、障碍重重。“jump through hoops”就表示要付出很多努力才能得到你想要的东西或达到你想要的程度。再说了,每个人都有权利拥有一个与自己有血缘关系的孩子。因此,代孕能够造就更多相亲相爱的家庭呢。
Opinion 8
Regardless of how a baby comes into this world, the only thing we need to worry about is that the baby is loved and cared for. As long as Bubs is the priority, everything else is inconsequential.
Tips: 不管小孩子是通过何种途径来到这世上的,我们关心的只是他能不能得到关爱。只要我们把关注的重点放在孩子上,其他事情再不符合逻辑都没关系。Bubs是美国口语,表示“小家伙、小弟弟”。