Gay dads turn to ‘hero’ sister in surrogacy struggle
Craig Parkes and Matthew Hinton’s son, Fitzgerald, was born earlier this year, and although he’s been more than a welcome addition, the road to his birth was anything but easy.
“It’s been a lengthy progress,” says Hinton. The couple originally attempted insemination with a surrogate in India, but without success. On top of that, while he was there, the country shut down surrogacy for gay parents.
The solution eventually arrived through a familiar face. Hinton’s sister Laura volunteered to be a surrogate for the couple. Although that solved the issue of who would carry the baby, they still required an egg donor, which was unavailable in Canada.
“We ended up having to go through an agency and actually compensate an egg donor, which you can’t do in Canada. So because Laura lives in South Carolina, it actually worked out for us,” says Hinton.
Since the birth of their son, Parkes and Hinton were approached by Tylenol to star in its newest commercial. Parkes says it was an opportunity to destigmatize gay couples having children.
