How Negative Press in Surrogacy Turns One-Off Stories into Major Policy Threats (and How to Prevent It)

The surrogacy industry is at an inflection point. In today’s media environment, a single negative surrogacy story—often involving a bad actor or isolated failure—can quickly spiral into national headlines, public mistrust, and real legislative consequences. In this episode of The Future of Surrogacy, we explore how negative press in surrogacy can evolve into policy risk and what agencies, advocates, and leaders can do to prevent that momentum from shaping regulation.

We’re joined by crisis communications and long-term narrative experts, Lori Ruggiero and Rob Ford, from 5WPR, to break down how industries ranging from tech to sports to food safety have faced similar moments—and what surrogacy can learn from their successes and missteps. Together, we unpack how perception is formed, how media narratives gain traction, and why reactive PR is no longer enough in a fragmented, fast-moving news cycle.

Our conversation goes beyond crisis response. It’s about proactive reputation strategy for the surrogacy field—before journalists call, before policymakers draft bills, and before misinformation hardens into “truth.”

This episode makes the case for groundwork: monitoring narratives, aligning messaging across the industry, preparing leaders for media engagement, and investing in grassroots storytelling that reflects the ethical, responsible family-building journeys that are the norm.

Creators and Guests

Host

Erin Quick

CMO of Simbe, makers for Riley – the ai assistant for surrogacy.

What is The Future of Surrogacy?

The podcast for surrogacy professionals that explores the people, innovations, and ideas building the next generation of surrogacy.