The Nation - News from Feb. 24, 1987

The woman fighting to reclaim Baby M, the child she contracted to bear as a surrogate mother, suffers from a “mixed personality disorder” that should disqualify her from regaining custody of the infant, a psychiatrist said in a report submitted to accompany his testimony. Dr. Marshall Schechter said in the landmark case in Hackensack, N.J., that Mary Beth Whitehead’s visitation privileges with the child should be canceled. He is one of three mental health professionals hired by Baby M’s court-appointed guardian to evaluate Whitehead and William and Elizabeth Stern, who hired her as a surrogate mother. The experts have recommended the Sterns be awarded custody.