Birth Tourism is a hot topic right now. How do I know? Reporters keep calling me asking about this topic with great interest.
The latest story was covered by the daily. The Daily is new type of media exclusively created for the ipad and provides cutting edge news with amazing content delivery. You have to try it to appreciate.
The latest story that I was part of is about Mothers coming to America to give birth. Millions of foreign tourists visit the United States every year, and a growing number return home with a brand new U.S. citizen in tow. Every year millions of foreign tourists visit the United States, and a growing number return home, after having given birth to a new baby.
Eight percent of all babies born in the U.S. in 2008 were to illegal immigrant parents, according to a groundbreaking analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data by the Pew Hispanic Center. All of those children are U.S. citizens while their parents remain undocumented.
Thousands of legal immigrants, who do not permanently reside in the United States but give birth here, have given their children the gift of citizenship, which the U.S. grants to anyone born on its soil.
The number of U.S. births to non-resident mothers rose 53 percent between 2000 and 2010, according to the most recent data from the National Center for Health Statistics. Total births rose 5 percent in the same period. Among the foreigners who have given birth here, including international travelers passing through and foreign students studying at U.S. universities, are “birth tourists,” women who travel to the United States with the explicit purpose of obtaining citizenship for their child.
Catering to the women is a nascent industry of travel agencies and hotel chains seeking to profit from the business.
Is this just a trend or a growing reality, share your thoughts with us.
Read our commentary at the daily.com