Meghan Trainor and husband welcome third child by surrogate

Joining an increasingly popular Hollywood trend, pop star Meghan Trainor has announced the birth of her third child, a girl, born to a surrogate.

Key Takeaways:

• Singer Meghan Trainor and her husband, actor Daryl Sabara, have announced the birth of their third child, a girl. In a post on Instagram, Trainor said their daughter was born to a surrogate.

• Trainor previously gave birth to two boys, at least one of which had to spend some time in the NICU.

• Surrogacy has become increasingly trendy with celebrities, but people have been speaking out against it, pointing out that it exploits women.

The Details:

Trainor announced the birth of her daughter with husband, "Spy Kids" actor Daryl Sabara, on Instagram.

"Our baby girl Mikey Moon Trainor has finally made it to the world thanks to our incredible, superwoman surrogate," she wrote.

Seemingly trying to get ahead of potential criticism, she added, "We are forever grateful to all the doctors, nurses, teams who made this dream possible. We had endless conversations with our doctors in this journey and this was the safest way for us to be able to continue growing our family. We are over the moon in love with this precious girl."

Sabara and Trainor got married in 2018, and previously welcomed sons Riley and Barry. In previous interviews, she expressed a desire to have a big family, though she underwent a c-section when giving birth to Riley.

"The biggest change is that anytime I walk into a room with him in it, it's the biggest smile and the most joy, the most love anyone could ever give you. He recognizes me and he's like, 'I'm so excited to see you.' And to look at that and be like, 'I made that. That's crazy. That came from love. That came from soulmates.' It's the greatest," she said in an interview with PEOPLE, adding, "I'm ready for three more kids!"

She also spoke about Riley having to spend time in the NICU, saying that despite a "rocky start," he was happy and healthy. He was born a week premature after Trainor was diagnosed with gestational diabetes in her first pregnancy.

Last year, she credited motherhood with a career resurgence. “I had a whole reboot, and it’s because my kids made me want to be the best version of me,” she said. I’m not peaking. I’ve just begun.”

She also said music industry executives tried to tell her that motherhood would destroy her career.

The Big Picture:

Surrogacy has become trendy among celebrities, which may be why Trainor appeared to justify her decision to use a surrogate when announcing her daughter's birth.

Actress Lily Collins (daughter of musician Phil Collins), best known for her starring role in the Netflix show "Emily in Paris," sparked backlash when announcing that her daughter was born via surrogacy. Many compared it to a real-life "Handmaid's Tale," with wealthy women using the bodies of low-income women to buy children.

Collins and Trainor are far from alone; celebrities like Kim and Khloe Kardashian, Paris Hilton, Chrissy Teigen, Naomi Campbell, and others, have used surrogates. And yet the risks to both women and babies are ignored, as well as the inherently exploitative nature of the practice.

As feminist activist Taslima Nareen said in 2022, “Surrogacy is possible because there are poor women. Rich people always want the existence of poverty in the society for their own interests. If you badly need to raise a child, adopt a homeless one. I won’t accept surrogacy until rich women become surrogate mom [sic].”

As pointed out by critics of surrogacy, it is much more akin to the "Handmaid's Tale" than many would like to admit. Surrogate mothers are at higher risk of developing conditions like gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and bleeding complications after birth. Babies conceived via IVF are likewise at a higher risk for numerous complications, including low birth weight and prematurity.

Most surrogacy is also a commercial enterprise; celebrities like Collins and Trainor can afford to pay for the process, which can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. The surrogate mothers, in contrast, are typically low-income, and often choose to become surrogates because it pays well and they need the money. Countries like Ukraine, with some of the highest poverty rates in the world, have become world leaders in the surrogacy trade.

In the process of buying women's bodies, they are dehumanized by the purchasing couple. Would-be parents have been known to

• buy insurance in case the surrogate’s body doesn’t perform on demand

• force surrogates into abortion if a preborn child is diagnosed with a disability

• force surrogates to undergo “selective reduction” if there are “too many” multiples in a pregnancy

• force surrogates to abort if a baby is the “wrong” gender.

The Bottom Line:

Surrogacy is the practice of purchasing a woman's body for the benefit of another, with women and children alike turned into products for wealthy couples to purchase.