Surrogacy has become a booming industry worldwide for LGTBQ+ couples, with just a handful of states limiting its use. The technology around it developed altruistically: for women to help friends or family members have a baby. Many states, however, have since expanded surrogacy to allow it for any reason, creating a kind of "rent-a-womb" industry in which women are handsomely compensated for the use of their reproductive abilities. (The website GrowingGenerations.com boasts that its surrogates are among the highest paid; its compensation package "offers up to $68,000 for first-time surrogates, with additional benefits of up to $35,000."

This week, the Massachusetts House of Representatives took a huge and unprecedented step toward further chaos: It unanimously passed a bill — 156-0 — which would help mothers sell their children. The state Senate will consider it next, but the schedule has not been determined. […]