Overview

• Under current state law, gestational surrogacy operates as a private contract without the rigorous background checks and court oversight required for adoption.
• York County District Attorney Tim Barker noted that Mitchell has complied with all registration requirements and said only a new law can alter his parental rights.
• State Representative Aaron Bernstine and a bipartisan group plan to introduce legislation in September to bar registered sex offenders from obtaining children through surrogacy.
• An online petition with more than 3,000 signatures is calling for the removal of the offender’s one-year-old son from his care.
• Mitchell and his husband raised over $2,000 via crowdfunding for their surrogacy and their chosen surrogate underwent extensive medical and social evaluations before the child’s birth.