In this era of high medical technology and free market, the
new reproductive technologies such as sperm donation, insemination, cloning and
surrogacy has always raised pros and cons since it was invented. Not merely
only from the culture or religion based debates but also from the humanity side
of it.
According to the Webster’s new world dictionary, Surrogate
means to delegate, to substitute. In the medical reproduction term surrogacy
means to arrange a woman to bear a child, carries and delivers for another
couple or person. Meaning the woman’s womb is used technically to bear a womb
for nine months and then delivers it for the adoption of another couple or
person.
In the medical term there are two (2) types of surrogacy.
Traditional surrogacy and gestational surrogacy. The traditional surrogacy, the
surrogate is the child’s genetic mother. In that, the child may be conceived
via artificial insemination or impregnated trough IUI (Intrauterine
insemination) or ICI (Intracervical insemination) performed from a clinic. The
advantage of traditional surrogacy is that there is still biological connection
to the couple since the male provided his own sperm. But the disadvantage is
emotional attachment of the surrogate mother to the baby in her womb,
especially since the egg came from her. While the gestational surrogacy, the
woman carrying the child maybe genetically unrelated to the child, therefore it
requires the transfer of embryo to the woman’s womb. Most couples would prefer
this because the surrogate mother is not the supplier of the egg.
Surrogacy procedure is obviously not easily done and costly.
In 2009, the average cost of surrogacy ranged from $25,000 to $100,000. The
time frame can take to years from the beginning couples to decide on surrogacy
to legally process adopting the child later after the child is born.
The surrogacy contract agreement form of bearing child will
usually takes place in an agency where a couple or a person agreed to pay certain
amount of money to have their genetic or non genetic embryo beared by a woman.
The surrogate mother who agreed to bear the child for nine (9) months then give
out the born child to the couple or a person. There are reasons why surrogacy
happens. It can be because the couple are not medically fit to have babies, or
there are certain health reasons behind it. Some because of the social parents
(parents to raise the child) is gay or lesbian but wanted to adopt a child or
maybe he/she is a single parent. On the other hand there are also reasons
behind a person becoming a surrogate mother, but mainly because of financial
reason.
In certain countries such as Singapore, surrogacy is illegal
that is why couples who are seeking to do surrogate procedure need to go to
overseas country such as Malaysia, India to perform the contract.
In New Delhi, India, a certified surrogate mother clinic can
get $6,000 from the $28,000 total surrogacy procedure cost (nd, the star
online). The issue of wealthy foreigners paying poor Indians to have babies has
raised ethical concerns in many Indian minds about “baby factories” despite the
fact that the Indian government has been pushing the country as a medical
tourism destination. Many of the surrogate mothers in the clinc has been “improved
economically” since they had been a surrogate, some even go as far to do it
again.
Despite the positive encounter the surrogacy had on improving
the surrogate mother financially, there are some arguments which says it was
not human for the mother since it is similar to a form of human exploitation
and prostitution. Some religious organizations firmly forbid their members from
participating in surrogacy, whatever reason and however desperate they are to
have a child.
Objectively we have to not only judge but also need to see
the case of surrogacy delicately since some of the advantages can also be
weigh. Such as it can help couples on their marriage-especially when the woman
has health issues that becoming pregnant would be life threatening, help
childless couples to have child with genes from either or both of them instead
of doing adoption, help gay or lesbian couples, and helping a single parent to
have a child. Disadvantages are the potential emotional and psychological aspects
of being a surrogate mother or the social parents. Furthermore they also have
to deal with trying to convince relatives or family members that this is a
right thing to do. It will be a big issue to discuss with since there will be a
long procedures to follow trough.
In conclusion, surrogacy motherhood is a complex issues. It
involves complicated systematic and humanitarian issues which need to be
addressed delicately and considered case per case.
