Chinese couples who cannot have children (or second children, or more) have found a creative way of becoming parents and bypassing the US immigration laws in one fell swoop, another example of money talking.

Through legitimate agencies these couples hire American women to serve as surrogates for their children, “designer” babies for China’s elite at $120,000 a time. For this they get a child who, born in the US, can claim American citizenship and the family can get green cards. Many Chinese who hire surrogates already have the one child allowed couples in China, so by doing this they both get round the one-child policy, but also have a bolt hole in case there is social trouble in China in the future. The Chinese government has little control over this (largely) commercial trade. (Adapted from the New York Times article by Alexandra Harvey, 9/24/2013)

It is somewhat galling to those of us who became US citizens the hard way, navigating the surreal immigration system, sometimes for several years, to see rich people effectively buy citizenship. It would appear to be an abuse and as such should be addressed. Epicurus enjoins us, in effect, to obey both the law and the spirit of the law.