Indias Surrogate Mothers Escape Poverty Slug: India surrogate mothers Date: 23/07/2012 Reporter: Shaikh Azizur Rahman

IN R!: "#ommer$ial surroga$%& means pa%ing a 'oman to $arr% a $hild in her 'om( ) and India is the *surroga$% $apital+ o, the 'orldhe pra$ti$e is (anned in man% $ountries. (ut it 'as ,irst allo'ed in India ten %ears agoNo' it&s an industr% 'orth t'o/and/a/hal, (illion 0S dollars ea$h %ear ) and a ke% part o, the $ountr%&s lu$rati1e medi$al tourism market2ut does it e3ploit 'omen li1ing in po1ert%4 Shaikh Azizur Rahman asks surrogate mothers 'hat the% think56 S76 1: A 8ust/(orn surrogate (a(% is $r%ing at an I97 $lini$2:/%ear/old ;ruti. 'ho goes (% one name. is $radling a (a(% (o%She ga1e (irth a ,e' 'eeks ago at the Akansha In,ertilit% #lini$ in Anand #it%. in the state o, <u8arat2ut the (o% is not hers ) she $arried the ,ertilized egg ,or a #anadian $ouple 'ho $ame to the $lini$ last %earIt&s the se$ond time that she&s $arried another $ouple&s $hild ) some $all it "renting the 'om(&;R0 I #lip 1 =>indi. ,emale?: @It&s m% $hoi$e to (e$ome a surrogate mother- I ,eel good a(out m%sel, ,or helping a $hildless 'oman to ha1e a (a(%- I&m illiterate. (ut I dream that m% o'n $hildren 'ill (e edu$ated in a good s$hool- 7or that. I need lots o, mone%- he mone% I&1e earned ,rom (eing a surrogate mother 'ill help me ,ul,il m% dream- I&m happ%-+ Aith three $hildren o, her o'n and an al$oholi$ hus(and. ;ruti had to ,ind mone% ,or her ,amil%She de$ided to (e$ome a surrogate mother a $ouple o, %ears agoAnd she&s not alone ) it&s estimated that surrogate mothers deli1ered t'o thousand (irths a$ross India last %earhe%&re mostl% poor 'omen li1ing in ur(an slums-

And the% $an earn good mone%. (et'een si3 and ten thousand 0S dollars ) a huge amount 'hen $ompared to the menial 8o(s man% o, them do ,or less than t'o 0S dollars per da%S76 2: Aoman intera$ting 'ith her daughter as she prepares her ,or her s$hool27/%ear old Rimi sends her daughter o,, to s$hoolShe&s also a surrogate mother- She 8ust deli1ered her ,irst surrogate (a(% last Banuar%Rimi used to 'ork in a telephone kiosk. earning CC 0S dollars a month2ut last %ear she spotted an ad in a lo$al ne'spaper ,rom a $lini$ looking ,or surrogate mothersShe responded immediatel% ) (e$ause she needed mone% ,or her ,amil%Rimi #lip 2 =5nglish. ,emale?: *Sin$e m% hus(and dumped me three %ears ago I got into serious ,inan$ial trou(le 'ith m% t'o little $hildren- I got an o,,er to (e$ome a surrogate mother and I a$$epted the deal- I am using the mone% to (u% a room and to take $are o, the ,uture o, m% $hildren- In ,a$t I am thank,ul to the $lini$ and the $ouple ,or getting me that amount o, mone%-+ She 'as paid D.000 0S dollars ,or the 8o(And she re$entl% introdu$ed ,i1e other 'omen to the $lini$ ) the% also 'ant to (e$ome surrogate mothersRimi #lip 1 =5nglish. ,emale?: *Eike me. most o, these 'omen are 1er% poor- he% 'ill not (e a(le to do an% 'ork ,or almost a %ear 'hile the% $arr% the (a(% in their 'om(s- It&s an in1alua(le ser1i$e- he% are read% to help some $hildless $ouple 'ho are ri$h- Ahat&s 'rong i, the% are paid ,or their ser1i$e4+ #lini$s $harge parents (et'een 12.000 to 30.000 0S dollars ,or the surroga$% ser1i$ehat&s a $omplete pa$kage. 'hi$h in$ludes ,ertilization. the surrogate mother&s pa%ment. and deli1er% o, the (a(% at the hospitalI, the parents are ,oreigners. the ,ee also in$ludes ,lights and a$$ommodation 'hile in IndiaA$$ording to the Aorld >ealth !rganisation. up to 10F o, $ouples 'orld'ide are una(le to ha1e $hildrenGan% o, them $ome to in/1itro ,ertilisation $lini$s- And around 2F need surrogate mothers to help them gi1e (irth to a $hildIndia has a(out 1.000 in/1itro ,ertilisation $lini$s ) and more than hal, o, them pro1ide $ommer$ial surroga$%2ut not e1er%one supports this (usiness-

Aomen&s rights a$ti1ist 2rinda ;arat is a 1o$al $riti$;arat #lip 2 =5nglish. ,emale?: *7oreign $itizens are $oming here to utilise the situation. (e$ause in their o'n $ountr% surroga$% is (anned- It&s (anned in Australia. it&s (anned in 0;. it&s (anned in man% o, the Ameri$an states. (anned in man% 5uropean $ountries- So their o'n $ountries are entirel% insensiti1e to $ouples 'ho 'ould like to ha1e their o'n geneti$ $hild- he% don&t $are. the% 'ant to prote$t. and e3a$tl% the% 'ant to prote$t surrogate mothers& e3ploitation- So %ou kno' the% ,ind India a 1er% 'el$oming $ountr%- I think that is reall% e3ploiting the po1ert% o, 'omen in India-+ Surroga$% is allo'ed in some states in North Ameri$a ) (ut in India it&s 2 to 3 times $heaperSome people support surroga$% itsel, ) (ut 'orr% 'hen mone% is in1ol1edIn/1itro ,ertilisation e3pert Dr ;amini Rao sa%s it&s unethi$al (e$ause the $hild is treated like a $ommodit%She sa%s surroga$% is ,ine ) (ut onl% 'hen it&s unpaid. to help the parents out o, good'illDr Rao #lip 1 =7emale. 5nglish? *It should (e altruisti$- Surroga$% is here to sta%- Aomen 'ho $annot (ear $hildren themsel1es should (e o,,ered surroga$%- his treatment should (e a1aila(le to e1er%(od%-+ 2ut Dr Indira >indu8a disagreesShe&s head o, the in/1itro ,ertilisation ,a$ilit% at Gu(ai&s >indu8a >ospital. and has 'orked in the surroga$% ,ield ,or 2C %ears She kno's ho' hard it is to ,ind surrogate mother 'ithout pa%ing ,or the ser1i$e>indu8a #lip 1 =,emale. 5nglish?: *I, the poor 'oman is $arr%ing the pregnan$% ,or someone else to gi1e almost 1er% pro,ound and meaning,ul result. i, the $ouple (% themsel1es or (% their pleasure. the% 'ant to $ompensate that 'oman. 'hat&s 'rong in that4 ell me- Ahen she is star1ing on the streets. her $hildren are d%ing in hunger. her house has $ollapsed in the hea1% rain. 'ho is going to help her. is the go1ernment helping her4 Are %ou and me going to help her4+ !ne o, the (iggest pro(lems is that there are no la's to prote$t the rights o, surrogate mothers0nder their $ontra$ts. the%&re o,ten ,or$ed to deli1er the $hild (% #aesarean se$tion ) although this $arries dou(le to Huadruple the risk o, death during $hild(irthhe 'omen o,ten don&t get an% spe$ial pre/ or post/natal $are ) and India tops the 'orld&s maternal mortalit% rate. 'ith CD thousand deaths ea$h %ear here&s also no restri$tion on ho' man% times a 'oman $an (e a surrogate motherAnd ,or all that. Indian surrogate mothers onl% re$ei1e around 2CF o, a $lini$&s total ,ee ) in some pla$es in the 0nited States. the% get up to 7CF-

A dra,t la' $alled the 2ill o, Assisted Reprodu$ti1e e$hnologies 'as ,inalised t'o %ears ago. and aims to prote$t Indian surrogate mothersIt&s due to (e ta(led in Iarliament this %ear- I, it passes. $ommer$ial surroga$% 'ill remain legal. (ut 'ith stri$ter regulationsDr Radhe% Sharma. Deput% Dire$tor <eneral o, the Indian #oun$il o, Gedi$al Resear$h. 'as in1ol1ed in dra,ting the (illDr Sharma #lip 1 =Gale. 5nglish?: *Ae dra,ted a Huestionnaire and 'e organised se1en pu(li$ de(ates in di,,erent parts o, the $ountr%- he ma8orit% o, the people supported it- he% said. "%es. $ommer$ial surroga$% should (e permitted in the $ountr%&-+ 0nder the dra,t la'. a 'oman a$ting as a surrogate mother must (e (et'een 22 and 3J %ears oldAnd she $an onl% gi1e (irth to a total o, ,i1e (a(ies. in$luding her o'n $hildrenRimi sa%s she 'ill (e a surrogate mother againRimi #lip 3 K5nglish. 7emaleL: *I, the% did not pa% ,or m% ser1i$e. I 'as indeed not going to o,,er to (e$ome a surrogate mother- It is the truth that I did it ,or mone%- It&s the $ase ,or nearl% all surrogate mothers- I, $ommer$ial surroga$% is (anned toda%. I think. tomorro' %ou 'ill not get a single 'oman 'ho 'ill o,,er this ser1i$e ,ree-+ 7or Asia #alling this is Shaikh Azizur Rahman ,rom India-