Surrogate mother-Wrong

Dr. V.L.Deshmukhassociate prof.Dept. of OBGY

Procedure for surrogacy

• Selection of surrogate mother• Consent-agreement-”baby let go” • Legal contracts-?brokers• Pregnancy-IUI,AID,IVF,Egg donor• ANC,drugs, labor-fees• Parents legally adopt the baby• Delivery-baby handed over 2 parents

Factors• Wombs for rent?• Undue advantage of desperate

@unstable mothers

Baby farming?

Reproductive prostitution?only worse…

Exploitation of women?rich?(invest time @risk2 bodies to

bring forth a new life)

Reproductive machines?(driven entirely by money)

Objects of negotiation & purchase?

Wombs For Rent

• Miracle of human birth is turned into financial transaction.

• Turns women into reproductive machine.

• Emotionally and physically demanding task.

Wombs For Rent.

• India has become destination in surrogacy related fertility tourism.

• Low cost, easy availability.(2-5 lacs)• Exploitation of women- Worrying

factor.

Legal complex matters.

• Confusing, complex, unsettled.• India 2002- legalized.• Surrogate mother-Even if not a

biological mother, still regarded by law as a mother as she has given birth

• Disaster stories due to change of mind of the surrogate mother.

Legal Complex Matters• Citizenship-Indian surrogate mother and

German parents.• Care taking-In case the parents divorce or

death of one partner.(Legal tussle between divorced Japanese parents and Indian surrogate mother)

• US law states that a child born abroad to a surrogate mother, who is the egg donor, and whose father is a US citizen, is treated for citizenship purposes as a child born out of wedlock.

Legal Complex Matters

• Third party involvement• Abortion• Agreement not as a binding contract• Repeated surrogacy-effect on

woman’s health• Icmr guidelines- silent about foreign

clients using indian surrogate mothers

Ethical and Moral issues.

Ethical and Moral issues.

• “Children are not elegant little presents we can wrap up with a bow and send out of the door.”- Diane Rotherburg of Boston(Filed law suit to get her child back after 2 and a ½ year of surrogate contract)

Ethical and Moral issues.• Surrogacy destroys the sanctity of

marriage.• Destroys the spiritual connection the

parents and child.• Bring the child and mother bearing it to be

objects of negotiation and purchase.• Turns women into reproductive machines.

Ethical and Moral issues• May lead to confused parent- child

relationship.• Ultimately damages the institution of

family.• Only poor women are “happy to help”-

economical reasons?????• Involvement of a third

party-”reproductive prostitution”

Other Factors.• Complicated procedures like IUI & IVF

needed. sucesss rate---????• Highly controversial.• Time required-Simple desire of having a

baby-couple undergoes an overwhelming process of unexpected choices, unknown risks and time consumed

• Difficult emotional and psychological issues over letting the baby go. Postpartum blues are higher in sm

• Legally complicated ethics of “buying” a baby.

• Child’s emotional development?• Financial, emotional and physical

resources.• PRAGMATICS no relationship.• ELAGITARIANS maintains

relationships.

Surrogacy• Making families or selling babies?.• Test the boundaries of law and

ethics.• Exploitation of women.• Spoiling the family institution

Psychological trauma

Making most of the new buisnesses