Reproductive freedom has been a hot topic of discussion among conservative circles since Donald Trump’s recently clarified stance on abortion. He made a few things clear: He supports limits on abortion, leaving it up to the states to decide, and fully supports alternate ways of conceiving a child.

Regardless of how people feel about Trump’s stance, one thing is clear: Conservatives don’t fully understand the dangers of IVF and surrogacy.

Unlike other countries, the U.S. has loose regulations on how the IVF/surrogacy industry operates. Loose regulations in such a delicate industry has led to appalling headlines.

In March, a Chicago veterinarian and dog show judge made headlines for distributing child pornography and for allegedly planning to sexually abuse his newborn son whom he would obtain via surrogacy, as reported by Fox 32.

There is a disturbing trend of single men obtaining children via surrogacy. It is important to note that not all men have bad intentions with children, but one should wonder why anyone would want to purposefully raise a child without his biological mother.

It will always be true that a baby needs his biological mother to thrive. From conception to birth, a baby has formed a unique connection to his mother, as he’s made her womb his home for nine months. It is cruel to separate a mother and baby from each other at birth. Critics of surrogacy often say that even puppies get more time with their mother before they join their new families.

As a country, we have dangerously put the desires of adults before the needs and rights of children. Purposefully creating children with the intention of taking them away from their biological mothers should not come from a developed country like the U.S. A country that prioritizes the needs and rights of children will take the precautions necessary to ensure that if surrogacy is going to be legal, there must be guardrails and laws that protect the baby and the mother.

With little knowledge about the dangers of surrogacy, it is unlikely that a ban will happen anytime soon. For now, it is important to continue to educate the public and lawmakers about the dangers of surrogacy. It would be irresponsible of us as a country to not create strict laws around the IVF/surrogacy industry. The desires of adults should never come before the needs of a child.

If the Republican Party is the party of protecting children and families, it will educate itself about the dangers of surrogacy. The protection of children will always be a hill worth dying on.