Woman Who Hired Surrogate Tells Court She Feels Like Child’s Mother

A woman who hired a surrogate to bear her husband’s child testified Tuesday that she thinks of the 10-month-old girl as her own baby.

“I feel that I am Melissa’s mother,” Elizabeth Stern said of the baby at the center of the first courtroom test of the legality of surrogate parenting.

“She’s brought a lot of joy to our life. She is a bright shining star,” Stern said.

Claims Woman Lied

She condemned the surrogate mother, Mary Beth Whitehead, as a liar and urged the court to deny her custody or visitation rights.

“Mary Beth has lied about me and my husband, she has lied to the press, she has lied to the court. I have absolutely no trust in her,” Stern said.

She testified during the second phase of the trial, which is considering custody of the child called “Baby M.”

A neurologist who was a witness for Whitehead testified earlier Tuesday that Stern had no medical reason to fear becoming pregnant herself although she has a mild form of multiple sclerosis.

Effects of Illness

The effects of multiple sclerosis on pregnancy are a key to Whitehead’s case because the 29-year-old woman claims she would not have agreed to the $10,000 surrogate contract had she known Stern was able to become pregnant.