Surrogate Mother, Family Visit Baby M on Birthday

The child known as Baby M turned a year old Friday, and the surrogate mother seeking custody of the girl marked the occasion with a two-hour visit and birthday party.

Mary Beth Whitehead, her husband and the couple’s two children saw Baby M over the objections of William and Elizabeth Stern, the couple for whom Whitehead bore the child under contract.

The Whiteheads went to the Teaneck home of the youngster’s court-appointed guardian for the visit with the girl they call Sara, Whitehead’s attorney, Harold Cassidy, said.

Cake and Presents

“We had a pleasant birthday party with a cake and presents and it was a joy,” a statement issued by Cassidy quoted Whitehead as saying.

Superior Court Judge Harvey R. Sorkow is to rule Tuesday on the validity of the surrogate contract and on whether Whitehead or the child’s father should get custody, Bergen County court officials and attorneys said Friday.

The court-approved birthday party marked the first time Whitehead’s husband, Richard, and the couple’s two children, Ryan, 12, and Tuesday, 11, had seen the child since mental health experts watched the Whitehead family interact with the infant on Jan. 10.

Cassidy said the Whiteheads did not know where they were to visit the child until they arrived at the home of the guardian, Lorraine Abraham.

Whitehead, 29, a Brick Township housewife, gave birth to the girl--called Baby M in court papers--on March 27, 1986, after being artificially inseminated with the sperm of Stern, a 41-year-old biochemist.

Turned Down the Fee

After the baby was born, Whitehead changed her mind about giving the child to Stern and his wife, a 41-year-old pediatrician. Whitehead turned down the $10,000 surrogate fee and fled with the child to Florida.

Authorities found her 87 days later and returned the child to the Sterns, who call the girl Melissa.

During the custody battle, Whitehead has been allowed to visit the child twice a week at the youth center.

Gary Skoloff, attorney for the Sterns, would not comment on how the couple marked the child’s birthday. The Sterns had objected to the Whiteheads’ visit, he said.

Cassidy said Whitehead will not be in court Tuesday for Sorkow’s ruling.

Skoloff said the Sterns will be in court for the ruling.