Lily Collins' husband Charlie McDowell calls out 'unkind' surrogacy comments

Lily Collins' husband, Charlie McDowell, is addressing social media critics who are sharing "unkind messages" about their newborn daughter being birthed by a surrogate.

"Thank you for all the kind messages and love. We are overjoyed and very grateful," McDowell wrote in a comment under the couple's joint post from Friday that shared the news of Tove's birth.

"In regards to the unkind messages about surrogacy and our path to having a baby— it’s ok to not be an expert on surrogacy. It’s ok to not know why someone might need a surrogate to have a child. It’s ok to not know the motivations of a surrogate regardless of what you assume," he added.

"And it’s ok to spend less time spewing hateful words into the world, especially in regards to a beautiful baby girl who has brought a lot of love into people’s lives. That’s all for now because she just pooped and I need to change her diaper."

"Emily in Paris" star Collins and McDowell, a writer and director who is also the son of actors Mary Steenburgen and Malcolm McDowell, have been married for three years.

Lily Collins reveals birth of daughter: 'Welcome to the center of our world'

Olivia Munn, Priyanka Chopra, Elizabeth Banks have been public about surrogacy

Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas, Chrissy Teigen and John Legend, Olivia Munn and John Mulaney, Khloé Kardashian and Tristan Thompson, as well as Naomi Campbell and Elizabeth Banks, are among celebrities who have been open about using surrogacy to expand their families.

Though not everyone shared their journeys to choosing surrogacy, several of them have been candid about health complications contributing to fertility issues.

Munn and Mulaney welcomed their daughter Méi June in September. Munn froze her eggs for the third time at 42 years old following her breast cancer diagnosis and underwent an oophorectomy and hysterectomy, which removed her uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries, during cancer treatment.

"This journey has made me realize how grateful I am to have options for not only fighting cancer, but also having more children if we want, because I know a lot of people don't have those options," Munn said in a May interview with Vogue.

Speaking with Net-A-Porter for a November 2019 cover story, Banks revealed, "I definitely think I’m still judged for what I’ve done and that people don’t understand my choices, but I don’t feel I owe anybody any explanation.

Banks, who has had difficulty with embryo implantation and says she is unable to carry a pregnancy, added: "If my story helps people feel less alone on their journey, then I’m grateful for that."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lily Collins' husband Charlie McDowell calls out surrogacy criticism