THE MINISTRY of Women and Child Development is examining the issue of ‘surrogate motherhood’ in India for bringing up a comprehensive legislation. But surrogate motherhood - as an arrangement, in which a woman carries and bears a child for another person or persons, but takes no ownership of the child born - has also raised moral, ethical and social and legal questions about both - the woman and the ‘commissioned baby’.
To understand the issues involved, let us see the case of Surekha. She is seven-months pregnant like any other expecting mothers, except that the child she is carrying isn’t her own. When Surekha gives birth to this child in India, the newborn will be immediately be handed over to its biological parents, Non Resident Indians (NRIs) who live in Canada and who have been unable to bear a child on their own. In return for renting her womb, Surekha will be paid one lakh rupees.
This practice of renting a womb and getting a child is like outsourcing pregnancy. The business volume of this trade is estimated to be around $ 500 million and the numbers of cases of surrogacy are believed to be increasing at galloping rate.
The exact extent of this practice in India is not known, but inquiries revealed that this practice has doubled in last few years and normally women from small towns are selected for this kind of outsourcing pregnancy.
Surekha’s husband Madan (name changed) says his meagre income of Rs 2,000 per month as a casual worker is not enough to run the family and educate children. He says that the extra money will allow him to invest in his children’s education and to buy a new home.
The medical opinion is divided on this kind of outsourced pregnancy. Dr Gupta reminds that, “This is not like donating a kidney. Bearing a child is an emotional issue. It is hard to force nine-month-pregnancy on any woman.” She cites dozens of cases of couples that have spent a small fortune on failed in-vitro fertilisations or experienced repeated miscarriages and have had no option but to turn to surrogacy.
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1 comment:
This has an advantage and disadvantage to both sides who will get involve in this kind of arrangement. Personally I don't want this to happen but if it is needed maybe with no doubt we will accept it.
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