Surrogacy: Can my ‘WOMB’ be rented?
Surrogacy is basically when another woman undergoes nine months of pregnancy and gives birth to a baby for the particular couple who wants to have a child. Since everything has its pros and cons, so does this rare issue that’s hardly been talked about in today’s Indian society. A country where every family yearns for a boy child, in the same country, you also have families using other people to grant them their wish. But everything isn’t this pessimistic. There are a million issues, emotionally, physically, and mentally that are related to surrogacy. There are several possibilities that our society yet again, refuses to open its eyes too. What is the ultimate reason behind looking at ‘Surrogacy’ as a taboo today? Not everyone though, but most of the stereotypical families still look at surrogacy as a taboo.
Sometimes it’s nearly impossible for couples to give birth, and only if that’s the case with couples, surrogacy steps in. This isn’t just a convenient method, but affordable too. India, however, is supposedly a main destination for surrogacy. As expected, the numbers of surrogate mothers in India is much higher in the industrialized areas. There are certainly different types of surrogacy too, but that doesn’t make it a taboo. It’s definitely much affordable than procedures like GIFT, IVF or ZIFT, but yet, it isn’t a taboo, provided if everyone involved is willing to undergo this process. But, on one hand where these expensive medical procedures give hundred percent positive results, on the other hand, surrogacy has quite a few risks and lower chances when compared to the former. Surrogacy however, isn’t a contract or a way to dehumanize women’s reproductive labor. It’s okay to have a surrogate mother, provided that the couple really is unable to bear a child when they desperately need one. Not just that, but if a woman is willing to be a surrogate, due to her remarkable low financial conditions, there’s nothing wrong; because at the end of the day, it’s all about how you want to live another day. In a country where more than a million individuals live under poverty line, surrogacy is also a way to get fast income, but as there is a saying, ‘Anything excess is poison’ similarly, the surrogate or the child may undergo major health issues if the situation is mishandled. Thomas Frank said, “When money is exchanged for pregnancy, some believe, surrogacy comes close to organ-selling, or even baby-selling”. I’m not saying he’s wrong, he’s technically right, but simultaneously, thinking about the adults involved in this process, it really is a psychological roller coaster that one goes through while making this decision.
It’s difficult to take a stand on this argument because there might be the same pros and cons for this one. It’s not okay to have a surrogate mother only to fulfill her financial needs. Why don’t you try paying her for other work like cleaning your house or cooking for you? And if you cannot bear a child while you desperately need one, adopt. There are a lot of children waiting to be adopted, to be loved, to be raised by good parents, so adopt children instead of unnecessarily increasing the population of this over-populated country. And if you’re thinking about what the society will say? Then I think it’s high time that you start thinking about your lives alone and demand the respect you deserve from the society because your womb is not for rent.
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About the Author: This article is contributed by Sonia David, our Intern. Sonia is a funky and sweet girl who is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Arts in Communicative English from Jyoti Nivas College, Autonomous in Bangalore. She loves writing, sketching and reading. She believes that women deserve much more and together, women can turn the world right side up!
