Surrogacy is a third party reproduction arrangement whereby a woman agrees to become pregnant for the purpose of giving birth to a child for others to raise. She may be the child's genetic mother or, usually not, depending on the type of arrangement agreed to. As the world has gotten smaller, people have looked to overseas to consider having a surrogate mother to help bring a new child into the world. In India this is now a thriving business that is a win win for all parties including the surrogate mother that gets paid to carry the baby, and the prospective parents. The only downside would be for the surrogate mother to have remorse after carrying the baby until the baby is born.
|
|
A surrogate mother is a woman who carries a child for a couple or single person with the intention of giving that child to that person/people once the child is born (also called surrogate pregnancy). The surrogate mother may be the baby's biological mother (traditional surrogacy) or she may be implanted with someone else's fertilized egg (gestational surrogacy).
Recently there have been some stories in the news media on cnn and other sites about a surrogate mothers program in India.
Compensation for surrogate mothers
Contracted motherhood agreements can be divided into two categories: commercial and non-commercial. Commercial contracted motherhood arrangements are those in which the party seeking a child agree to pay a fee to the surrogate beyond the cost of her medical needs. In contrast non-commercial or “altruistic” contracted motherhood arrangements are those where the surrogate agrees to receive no payment or reward, although it is rare that a total non-commercial agreement is ever made as it is expected that the commissioning party will pay the pregnant woman’s medical bills.
It is estimated that in the United States, the payment for a surrogate mother ranges between US$15,000 and $25,000, the whole procedure can cost $45,000 to $60,000. According to a poll, fees anywhere from $10,000 to 30,000+ are considered fair by the surrogates themselves; with most voting in the $17,000-$22,000 range. The fees for the rest of the process- including fertility clinics; lawyers; medical fees; and agencies and/or egg donors (if they're used) generally cost more than the fee going to the surrogate. Gestational surrogacy costs more than traditional surrogacy, since more complicated medical procedures are required. Surrogates who carry a baby for a family member (i.e. sister or daughter) usually do so without reimbursement.
Contrary to popular belief, surrogate mothers are not all poor women being exploited for their fertility. Many are middle-class women who want to help make families. They come from all walks of life, some are done having children of their own, while some want more children in the future.
The same can be said of fertility tourism, when couples go abroad for surrogacy, notably India ( Recently there have been some stories in the news media on cnn and other sites about a surrogate mothers program in India). And here too surrogates come from all walks of life. The benefits of doing so would be that it is far cheaper; around $12,000 will give one a surrogate, an egg donor and all medical and hospital bills paid for. IVF on its own is more than $3,000. Other benefits are a short waiting list (or none at all) and an unrestrictive embryo count implant.
Who chooses surrogacy?
Women may be unable or unwilling to go through pregnancy due to: absent or poorly functioning ovaries, an absent or malformed uterus, a disease which precludes pregnancy, recurrent pregnancy loss, or repeated IVF implantation failures.
It has been suggested that one of the major motivations for turning to this method of reproduction is the difficulties associated with adoption in contemporary society. These include the fact that changes in social attitudes and legislation have led to fewer women placing their children up for adoption, and couples may wish to avoid being asked to adopt a child of a different race or having to go through the difficulties of international adoption.
The biological connection
There are two major
types of surrogacy:
Partial or genetic contracted motherhood (also known as traditional or straight
surrogacy), in which the gestational mother is impregnated with the sperm of
the commissioning father (usually through artificial insemination). In these
cases, the gestational mother is both the genetic and gestational mother of
the child, however she relinquishes her role of social mother to the commissioning
mother.
Complete or gestational contracted motherhood (also known as host or gestational
surrogacy). Using in vitro fertilisation (IVF), the intended parents produce
an embryo that can then be transplanted into the surrogate mother for her to
gestate and give birth to after nine months. In gestational contracted motherhood
the pregnant woman makes no genetic contribution to the child, however she is
the child’s birth mother. In some cases, particularly of infertility,
this may be combined with the use of donor sperm or donor eggs in creating the
embryo for transfer
Most surrogacies end without problems, with the parents getting their child(ren). Most stories (especially movie dramas) about the subject focus on.
The clearest argument for supporting surrogacy is that it allows couples who want a family, but who were prevented from having one by infertility, to have a child. Another argument is that people should be allowed to make personal arrangements with a surrogate as long as this arrangement does not harm others. As well, supporters claim that the child's rights can be protected if legal provisions are adequate and enforced. Supporters also argue that if a couple would go to such lengths to have a child, this child would very much be wanted and loved. Finally, proponents of surrogacy believe that most surrogate mothers are motivated by altruistic concerns for other women to have children, and that even if receiving payment, most entered the industry on the grounds of helping others.
The arguments against surrogacy
include a consideration of the interests of the surrogate mother and the rights
of the child. Some issues include[1]:
What happens if the surrogate mother or commissioning couple change their mind?
What happens in the case of miscarriage or multiple births?
What happens if the child has serious disabilities?
What are the rights of the child?
Should payment be involved?
Surrogacy arrangements involve not only the couple and the surrogate mother, but the child as well. Therefore, some argue that society has a right to prohibit surrogacy in order to prevent the child from undesirable circumstances. Some also argue that surrogacy arrangements are in reality contracts for the purchase of a child, which are quite unacceptable [2].
There has also been some religious opposition to surrogacy. For example, the Vatican[3] has issued a statement rejecting surrogate motherhood, finding that it is not morally licit because it is contrary to unity of marriage and the dignity of procreation of the human person. For those who want to help their surrogate mother lose weight after giving birth, you can try a nice Another new development in medicine is stem cell therapy.
For more information about Surrogacy, surrogate mothers, gestational surrogacy, surrogacy agency, please visit some of these sites
christian science monitor and the bbc
copyright 2007 surrogate-mother.net