Is Surrogacy ethical?

Is Surrogacy ethical?

"The Vatican is against surrogate mothers. Good thing they didn't have that rule when Jesus was born." - Elayne Boosler, American Comedian. This joke might go down in bad taste with many people. This joke may not be true but this actually shows how people sometimes feel about surrogacy. The negative attitude towards it completely overshadows the joy it provides to an infertile couple when they have their baby. A surrogate mother is a woman who carries a child, usually for an infertile couple. Surrogacy has been around a long time and dates back to biblical times. It has been seen in many religions and is an age old practice. What makes it controversial is the ethical dimension of surrogacy. The ethical issues which surround it have affected the image of this practice. Also, a recent controversy involving an Australian couple who abandoned a child born out of surrogacy in Thailand, on the count of the child suffering from Down’s syndrome brought this issue to the forefront.

It is Ethical –

1. Many points are raised as ethical problems associated with surrogacy, however many of the things are pre-decided and can be made legally enforceable.

2. If any party - surrogate or the couple, backs out from the commitments, one can pre-decide what actions to take against the backing out party. These solve mostly all of the legal problems.

3. As far as moral issues are concerned, we must understand that surrogacy is voluntary and not forced upon. People should look at it as an opportunity to help others and give joy to them.

4. Many of them raise issues that women opt for this for money. However it is a personal choice and no one is forcing anyone to be a surrogate. It is difficult to be certain of this allegation as a woman may genuinely want to help an infertile couple.

5. The cynicism towards surrogacy is what is responsible to raise such issues. There are issues related to adoption too. In a same way there are some issues related to surrogacy. But the anti-surrogacy lobby and cynics are blowing it out of proportion.

Ethical concerns –

1. "When money is exchanged for pregnancy, some believe, surrogacy comes close to organ-selling, or even baby-selling." - Thomas Frank.

2. It seems ironical that people are engaging in the practice of surrogacy when millions of children are orphans. Why people don't turn towards adoption?

3. Many speculated that surrogacy will harmfully affect the child, when he or she discovers that birth involved another mother. The child may be affected by feelings of being different or of having been deceived.

4. What if the surrogate decides to keep the baby? The legal measures to separate the surrogate and the child violate moral laws as one is separating a child from his/her mother.

5. While becoming a surrogate, there are many restrictions put on the surrogate in terms of health, habits, etc. Thus it violates individual freedom.

6. Many times women in need of money get involved in this. Does it amount to exploitation of someone due to their poor economic condition? Thus it becomes a commercial relationship where the surrogate mother might compromise as she is in need of money. This can mean that she might not get the attention due to her in terms of health, benefits, care, etc. She might just become a tool which is used and discarded.

7. It is commodifying babies and mothers.

8. Also one issue is the inherent dignity of each human being, be it the surrogates or the baby. The surrogate mother is often called a "gestational carrier". This shows the level of attitude people show towards the surrogates. It is a disgrace towards the surrogate.

9. Even in countries where commercial surrogacy is prohibited, women may be coerced into accepting surrogacy, e.g. through emotional pressure, threats or promises concerning their jobs, etc. This is forced surrogacy.

10. These are just a few issues. Many studies have been done regarding the impacts of surrogacy and even on the business form of surrogacy.

Conclusion

It would be wrong to discard this practice under the name of ethical concerns. A proper legal and moral framework can streamline this practice and free it from many of its ills. This is a boon for the infertile couples and we must keep them at the center of designing a policy to regulate surrogacy. Simultaneously the surrogate mother too is an important stakeholder in this. We must keep in mind her rights too. However we must try to prioritize the couple over the surrogate mother when it comes to custody and other important matters, as surrogacy is voluntary. No one forced the surrogate other to do so. She must have been aware all along, of the result of surrogacy. This doesn't mean in any sense that she gets a bad deal. It only means that for voluntary services like these, we must ensure that the service provider does not renegade on the promises made.