Scott Perry unveils bills targeting surrogacy for foreigners, sex offenders

Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., on Thursday announced two bills targeting child exploitation through surrogacy services.

The twin bills include the "Protecting Kids from Creeps Act" and the "Preventing International Surrogacy Exploitation Act." The first would penalize surrogacy agencies that work with sex offenders while the second would bar foreign nationals from securing a child through U.S.-based surrogacy services. Joining Perry to support the legislation were Reps. Randy Fine, R-Fla., and Tim Burchett, R-Tenn.

"There is a lack of legal guardrails in many states that allow sex offenders to obtain, legally, children via surrogacy, regardless of their criminal history," Perry told reporters. "Without reform, babies and children are in danger of abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and all the worst things and horrific things you can think of."

Perry gave an example of Chinese Executive Wang Huiwu, who hired US models as egg donors to have ten daughters in hopes of one day marrying them off to powerful men. Perry said one owner of a California agency helped fill an order for another Chinese parent seeking 100 children.

"International commercial surrogacy, burnt tourism, it's a national security threat. It invites immigration fraud and malfeasance, and most importantly, it is an ethical, moral imperative, because we are allowing, if not facilitating, child endangerment," he added.

Perry further listed off a series of countries that have banned international commercial surrogacy, expressing the need for the US to follow suit. 

Fine, for his part, said surrogacy ought to be treated as a "holy procedure" in America.

"So, these bills are going to solve a problem, because any time that we can save and protect a child, we are saving the world. So, I thank Congressman Perry for running these two bills," Fine said. "I'm excited to support them, and I look forward to making sure that we're protecting both babies and children from sexual predators, as well as from those who would simply see them as a means to a passport to the United States of America."

Ultimately, Burchett spoke about the need to protect the well-being of American children.

"Our children are our future, they deserve to be protected," Burchett said. "This is the type of bill — there ought to be very little discussion."