Surrogate Mothers
Surrogacy is a situation whereby a woman accepts to bear a child on behalf of other couples who are infertile. There are some instances where the woman who bears the child is the real genetic mother of the baby, and other situations where the woman may receive an implant of an embryo. In such instances, the woman becomes the one who holds or carries the child and not the genetic or real mother of the child (Gostin 24). The woman acts as a container of the embryo. There are varieties of views that oppose the idea of surrogacy, while others support the idea of surrogacy. A review of both cases that are for and against surrogacy are analyzed with emphasis on those who are in favor of surrogacy via the use of real life surrogacy cases (Gostin 27).
Numerous people believe that the practice of surrogacy to be wrong while there are others who believes that the same practice is right. Every country views the idea of surrogacy in different ways. Some countries that support the idea while there are others that are against the idea of surrogacy (Overvold 34). An example is a country like India that considers surrogacy legal and fair since its acts as a profits earner for women who volunteer to carry the embryo. Such women often earn money after carrying the child for nine months. India is currently regarded as a country where infertile couples can seek women who can help them bear a child (Overvold 39).
Arguments against surrogacy
Those people who are against surrogacy argue that the act is immoral since the case involves a paid transaction. Several people who are against surrogacy base their arguments on religion. For example, the Catholic Church argues that the practice of surrogacy is a sin since it involves payment (Ragoné 12). They argue that surrogacy is against the holiness of marriage. Roman Catholic Church believes that surrogacy is odious because it involves money. According to the Catholic Church, the idea of giving birth involves God and is regarded as a miracle and a gift from God. If humans start making contracts to bear a child who might not be hers, then she does not accept God’s gift. Commercial surrogacy alters God’s miracle and gift to a paid transaction (Ragoné 19). The Church is against this idea since it reduces a woman’s capability of giving birth to an entity of concession. It exploits the child and reduces woman to creatures that are meant for reproduction purposes. The Catholic Church also argue that the child might not have a strong or confident relationship with the parents once he discovers that he was born of surrogacy.
Some people are also against surrogacy based on an economic and political context. They are against the idea that women should rightfully turn their bodies into childbearing machines. They argue on an economic basis that poor women are most likely going to turn into childbearing machines for the rich women. They argue that if surrogacy is legalized, the reproductive capability of women will become a service for brokers. Others have also argued extensively that surrogacy is almost equal to prostitution.
Arguments that support surrogacy
Advocates who support surrogacy argue that it is a moral act since its helps those who are infertile to get babies. These advocates argue that since infertility is a common occurrence, that affects one in every six couples, the idea of surrogacy can help the affected people to bear children with a genetic relationship (Kane 29). Advocates also argue that the practice suits women who are always busy working and may wish to bear children later. Adoption may not be a favorable option for infertile couples since the couples may not have a genetic relationship with the adopted child. Infertile couples who want to adopt children may have to wait for more than three years to get the child. Abortion and increased use of contraceptives is also a contributing factor to lack of or reduced adoption cases. Those who support the idea of surrogacy argue that people should not sell babies (Kane 69). They argue that, in surrogacy, the contract involves making a baby and not selling. The payment for surrogacy services is for the gestation. Advocates also argue that if a woman is denied surrogacy, it is the same as denying her constitutional right to make a contract.
Other people who support surrogacy argue that people should have the freedom to do whatever they want to do with themselves. They argue that women will be the beneficiaries of this freedom since they will have an opportunity to make choices in their lives. The woman will be free to do what they want with their bodies (Keane and Dennis 87). Advocates also argue that, since both parties have a common goal, they will both benefit. The infertile family has a goal of bearing a child, and the surrogate mothers have a goal of earning some money. In the end, the most critical thing is that both parties get satisfaction.
Works Cited
Gostin, Lawrence O. Surrogate Motherhood: Politics and Privacy. Bloomington: Indiana
University Press, 1990. Print.
Kane, Elizabeth. Birth Mother: The Story of America’s First Legal Surrogate Mother. San Diego:
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 2000. Print.
Keane, Noel P, and Dennis L. Breo. The Surrogate Mother. New York: Everest House,2008.
Print.
Overvold, Amy Z. Surrogate Parenting. New York: Pharos Books, 2008. Print.
Ragoné, Helena. Surrogate Motherhood: Conception in the Heart. Boulder: Westview Press,
1994. Print.
