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Latest Surrogacy News
Proud Papas Gay Dads
Delighted Over New Quadruplets
September 12, 2003
abcnews.com
A gay couple who own
two hair salons in Lexington, Ky., are now the proud
fathers of 7-week-old quadruplets, with the assistance
of a surrogate mother.
The biological dad,
36-year-old lawyer Meehan, and his partner, Dysarz, 31,
are believed to be the first gay couple ever to have
quadruplets. They had the children through in-vitro
fertilization after Dysarz met the babies' mom, a
23-year-old Kentucky woman, by chance at one of their
salons.
Both men joined the
woman, who does not want her name publicized, in the
delivery room when the four infants were delivered via
Caesarean section on July 26.
Taylor, the only girl,
was the smallest at 2 pounds, 14 ounces. She and
Michael, who weighed 3 pounds, were both born at 3:05
p.m. Jacob, weighing 3 pounds 5 ounces, came next at
3:07 p.m., followed by Tristan, who was born a minute
later and was the largest of the brood at 3 pounds, 7
ounces. The new dads say they were shocked to the core
when they first heard the mother would give birth to
four babies.
"I was like, 'Oh, Lord,
help us!' I was a little nervous," Dysarz said on
ABCNEWS' Good Morning America. "I was excited — I
come from a large family of seven myself, a good
Catholic family, and I was just excited."
Longing for a Family
Dysarz and Meehan
became a couple in 1998 and decided early on that they
wanted to have children together. Initially, they were
busy starting up the hair salons, but four years later,
they were ready to take the plunge into parenthood.
Since Kentucky law
doesn't allow gay parents to adopt, they decided that
surrogacy would be their best option, and that Meehan
would be the biological father of the first child.
Then Dysarz met the
woman who would become their surrogate mother. She
appeared in one of the salons, with her three children
in tow. Dysarz thought the kids were cute, and kidded
her that he wanted to take them home and keep them.
When she learned about
the couple's situation, she wanted to help out. She said
she always thought it was her calling to become a
surrogate mom.
Dysarz told Meehan
about the hair salon discussion, and they decided the
time was right.
The woman had no
problem with bearing a child for a gay couple.
"She actually said
later on in the she thought it was great because she
wanted to help a couple have children that couldn't have
children," Dysarz said. "The fact we are a gay couple
even made it that much more special for her to give that
gift to us."
After the births, the
surrogate mother provided breast milk for the babies, as
she had agreed to, but she will have only limited
contact with the children in the future. Under Kentucky
law, a surrogate mother can terminate her parental
rights after three days. Since Meehan is the biological
father, no adoption is necessary.
A Lot of Diapers to Change
Since the babies were
born, the two men have found that their schedules
dictated by those of the children. The babies eat every
three hours, and sleep two to three hours between
feedings.
The dads do most of the
care themselves, with Meehan's mom helping out. Since
Dysarz works late at the salon, he often handles the
night shift, while Meehan works at home during the day.
Eventually, they'll hire a nanny.
While many people have
been supportive of their decision to start a family, the
salon owners did receive one nasty call at their
business after an article about the new dads appeared in
the local newspaper. But negative comments have been the
exception in the community, where they have received a
lot of support.
Meehan said he and
Dysarz live in a family-values-oriented town, and their
values are like anyone else's.
"They will be raised in
a loving home and that's all you can ask from any
parent," Meehan said.
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