Wombs no more for rent

Experts specialising in infertility treatment feel that the altruistic clause in the draft Surrogacy Bill 2016, cleared by the Cabinet recently, is impractical. They are more for streamlining surrogacy procedures which will protect the women from being exploited than banning commercial surrogacy in the country. 

The Bill aims to bring an end to commercial surrogacy in the country. It approves altruistic surrogacy through close relatives, where only medical expenses are paid. 

Surrogacy, in which a woman volunteers to carry the baby (surrogate mother), is implanted with an embryo created by IVF, using prospective mother’s egg or donor egg and prospective father’s sperm or a donor’s sperm, has been gaining popularity in India for several years now. It has turned the country into a hotspot for NRIs and foreign nationals who find potential surrogate mothers in healthy and fertile Indian women in financial need. But the draft Surrogacy Bill, 2016, aims to bring to an end this kind of commercial surrogacy in the country. It approves altruistic surrogacy through close relatives. The Bill also makes the option accessible to only Indian married couples who are childless.

Dr Gowri Meena, consultant obstetrician-gynaecologist, laparoscopic surgeon and infertility specialist, Apollo Specialty Hospitals, Ayanambakkam, Chennai, says that while the initiative to introduce a Bill is commendable, there is very little to cheer about. She says, “ It would have been more effective if there were clear rules and regulations to govern the process of surrogacy. Surrogacy is the last hope for several childless couples, but this Bill denies them even that.” 

When the women who have been surrogate mothers are asked if they will agree to be surrogate mothers for relatives, they unanimously said a ‘firm no’. One of them says, “As a surrogate mother, I never get to meet the couple for whom I am bearing a child. That anonymity helps me when I have to get back to my life after the child is born. But, if I serve as a surrogate mother for my sister, I will be called all sorts of names.” Another woman adds, “Imagine the trauma the child would face, if he or she learns that he or she was born through another mother— an aunt from the same family?” 

Dr C Geetha Haripriya, medical director, Prashanth Fertility Research Centre, points out that altruistic surrogacy is impractical. “Most of them who can afford a surrogate mother hail from upper middle income groups. It is a well-guarded secret. Imagine them seeking help from their relatives, it will be extremely traumatising,” she adds. 

However, some have welcomed the move by the government, saying surrogate mothers have for long been exploited. It is not uncommon to hire more than one surrogate and select one whose pregnancy stabilises while the other is aborted, says A Narayanan of CHANGE India. 

“We have also come across cases in which the entire women members of the poor family, the mother-in-law, daughter-in-law, sisters-in-law have all become surrogates. There have also been cases where women have become surrogate multiple times,” he adds. In almost all the parts of the developed world, commercial surrogacy is banned and in only a few, altruistic surrogacy is allowed, he says. 

Opposing the ban on commercial surrogacy, AJ Hariharan, chairperson, G-SMART, that has been working towards ensuring the rights of surrogate mothers, says that surrogate mothers shouldn’t get a raw deal. “In the 500-odd cases we have seen, the middlemen cheat the surrogate mothers with a paltry sum. We have been working with doctors to ensure that these women are not exploited,” he adds.

I came across an advertisement for egg donation, in a newspaper. When I approached the hospital, they told me that I could be a surrogate mother, for which I would receive Rs 3.75 lakh. After a counselling session and agreeing to some terms, I told my family about it. They supported me wholeheartedly. Last week, I gave birth to the child. It was a C-section delivery. I am glad I didn’t see the baby; it would have been very difficult not to get emotionally attached. Back at my house in Manali, my two children (a son and daughter aged 12 and 9 respectively) have no idea why I have been away for so long. By the end of it, money matters to all of us; it will change our lives for the better.

Two years ago, I learnt about surrogacy through an acquaintance and due to financial problems, I agreed. This is the second time I have become a surrogate mother. I have two children. Now, again I am in need of money. I am being paid Rs 3.5 lakh. My mother-in-law knows about it, but my children have been told that I am working elsewhere. I visit them every week, but now I am in my fourth month of pregnancy. I can’t see them, till the baby is born. I do not want to get attached to the surrogate child. I am very clear from the beginning that it is a deal and I have made up my mind. I opted to do it for money, but it is helping another childless couple that matters.

I had no idea what surrogacy was till a neighbour who was working at a hospital in the city approached me, almost seven years ago. He told me I would be paid well as they were looking for women who already have children. I was initially confused and I thought I was getting into some illegal trade, but I was assured that I am only helping out a childless couple to have a baby. Till date, I don’t know who the couple was. Nor do I know, if it was a baby boy or girl. I received the sum that was promised and it helped me and my family a lot. Today, though I want to become a surrogate mother again, I don’t know if I would be of any help to anyone, as I have aged.

When the agent approached me I was about 23 and already had two children. He said it was only for egg donation. I was told I would be paid Rs 15,000 for it. I volunteered because that money could change my family’s fortune. But when I went there, I was asked if I wanted to be a mother again, I was surprised. He explained that I could carry a child for someone else and I would be paid more —almost Rs 2 lakh for it. I had to convince my family members, even my husband was not prepared for it. Later, when I told them about the money, they supported me. This was seven years ago and today I want to be a surrogate mother again.