Travel Bans Block Couple From Retrieving Baby From Surrogate Mother

A surrogate mother is stuck caring for the child she carried nearly a year after giving birth due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.

Emily Chrislip of Idaho served as a surrogate mother for a couple from China. The original plan was for the couple to travel to Boise on May 18th, 2020, to collect their newborn daughter. However, due to the travel ban in place stemming from the pandemic, the couple cannot retrieve the baby. Since she was born, the couple in China has only seen their child through FaceTime.

“We still have her,” Chrislip confirmed to ABC affiliate KIVI-TV. “Initially, we were like ‘four weeks, we will take care of her, and she’ll go home.’’ However, the 25-year-old and her husband Brandon have cared for the baby girl for nine months. The couple has one son of their own. In September 2019, they were chosen by the couple in China to carry their child.

Chrislip said that the couple was originally scheduled to have their room at the hospital to spend time with their baby upon her birth. Unfortunately, none of that has happened, and the young couple continues to care for the child.

Despite travel restrictions being lifted in most places worldwide, the girl’s biological parents will likely be unable to safely bring her back to China for another three months as they work to finalize travel documents.

Chrislip says that while she is hopeful that the couple can pick up their baby before her first birthday in May, she and Brandon are happy to care for the baby girl.

“On a day-to-day basis, we just get through it and keep going on about our day, and so it doesn’t seem too out of the ordinary anymore,” Chrislip said.