Surrogate mothers in India

How justified is it to take someone’s prized possession to fulfill dreams of others. It is very

difficult to comment. Many critics have raised their voice against surrogacy but the most

important question is why there are so many surrogate mothers in India? Sometimes a desire to

bring happiness to the couples who have tried and failed in various methods of conceiving a

child, while the other times it is their dire need of money which leads them to take such an

extreme step.

Commercial surrogacy has become a booming industry in India. While the Indian government

has been pushing the country as medical tourism destination, the issue of wealthy foreigners

paying Indians to have babies has raised ethical concern among people. It is estimated that this

new set up generates annual revenue of $2 billion.

It is estimated that 10% to 15% of married couples are unable to have children in the United

States. The payment for a surrogate mother in US ranges between US$15,000 and $30,000 and

the whole procedure can cost more than $60,000. The fees for the rest of the process which

includes fees of fertility clinics, lawyers, agencies and/or egg donors and medical fees generally

costs more than the fee going to the surrogate.

India is foremost in surrogacy because of the low cost treatment and more women are opting to

be a surrogate mother in India. In India Surrogacy costs about $ 20,000. Moreover laws in US

and UK do not allow the surrogate woman to charge the childless couple, whereas in India there

are no laws preventing a surrogate woman in accepting compensation for renting her womb,

which gives them a golden opportunity to earn some money. Childless couples not only offer

substantial amount of money to surrogate mother in India but at times they also provide funds

for education for other children of these mothers.

There are certain medical risks involved with surrogacy. These may include effects on the child

born as a result of the treatment – IVF treatment has a greater chance of producing multiple

births, which increases the chance of a premature birth and a baby that is below the normal birth

weight. Among the surrogate mothers there could be reactions to fertility drugs, including hot

flushes, feelings of depression or irritation, headaches and restlessness. There is also a small risk

of ovarian hyper-stimulation syndrome (OHSS) occurring in the surrogate mothers which can

cause stomach pains, nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath and faintness. Motherhood and the

feelings associated with it is something that comes very natural to women. So these women at

times find it very difficult to detach themselves from their child.

Surrogacy contracts often have sections discussing the risks that the surrogate mother is

willing to take. However, they are often very limited in detailing them. Irrespective of the ethical

and medical concerns which haunt people and the amount of revenue fertilization industry

generates, this industry still remains unregulated. There should be laws in India protecting not

just the couple but also the woman opting to be surrogate keeping in mind the economic

compensation and help that it offers to not just the illiterate women but also their families in

India.