Lily Collins’ Husband Speaks Up About the Backlash for Hiring a Surrogate
Lily Collins and her husband Charlie McDowell recently welcomed a baby daughter via a surrogate. The Emily in Paris actress posted the wonderful news to her Instagram .
She captioned the post: “Welcome to the center of our world Tove Jane McDowell. Words will never express our endless gratitude for our incredible surrogate and everyone who helped us along the way. We love you to the moon and back again…”
However, what was supposed to be a moment of celebration was soured because of the criticisms.
Negative Comments About the Announcement
Negative comments flood Collins’ post. One user wrote, “Just like Paris Hilton. Didnt want to damage her body so paid someone else to do it?” while another posted, “Wow. Money can buy you literally anything, including human life.”
With all the negative comments, Lily Collins’ husband, writer and director Charlie McDowell posted, “Thank you for all the kind messages and love. We are overjoyed and very grateful. In regards to the unkind messages about surrogacy and our path to having a baby— it’s ok to not be an expert on surrogacy. It’s ok to not know why someone might need a surrogate to have a child. It’s ok to not know the motivations of a surrogate regardless of what you assume.”
He added, “And it’s ok to spend less time spewing hateful words into the world, especially in regards to a beautiful baby girl who has brought a lot of love into people’s lives. That’s all for now because she just pooped and I need to change her diaper.”
While there are a lot of negative comments, there were still those who defended the couple and well-wishers including celebrities Demi Moore and Sarah Hyland.
Lily Collins’ Health
Although Collins and McDowell did not directly discuss their decision to have a baby via surrogate, Collins previously opened up about her struggles with anorexia. Women with eating disorders, especially those over 35, are at a higher risk of experiencing complications during pregnancy, per The Mirror. Collins is 35 years old.
Surrogacy in the U.S.
ABC News reported that the use of a surrogate increased in the U.S. from 3,517 in 2013 to 9,734 in 2022. Surrogacy laws are different in every state since there are no federal regulations governing it. Aside from Nebraska and Louisiana, paid surrogacy is legal in every other state with Michigan recently decriminalizing paid surrogacy in March 2024.
