Surrogate mother files lawsuit to gain access to triplets
Melissa Cook, 48, was paid by a man she never met to be a surrogate for his children. Now, she is fighting to gain access and possibly custody of the triplets she gave birth to.
In the summer of 2015, Cook agree to be a surrogate for a man in Georgia, using his sperm and three eggs from a donor. Cook became pregnant, but things took a turn when the father found out Cook was pregnant with triplets.
According to Cook, the father admitted to lawyers that he did not have the financial means to take care of all three babies and urged Cook to abort one of the babies.
When Cook refused, she says the father threatened to not pay for her and the babies' hospital care and even said he would give one up for adoption. Cook says although told the father she would take in one of the children, he refused, prompting Cook to take legal action.
Cook's lawsuit against the father alleges that the father is unable to properly take care of the three infants. According to reports, the biological father is a 50 year-old deaf man who is single, lives with his elderly parents and works as a postal worker.
Although lawyers for the father say that the babies are doing fine, Cook wants custody of one or even all three, KTLA reports.
Her case is the first in the nation to challenge the constitutionality of surrogacy and could have a huge impact for all Americans.
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