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Surrogacy Law and Conracts in India
Surrogacy Law and Conracts in India
Daniyal Qureshi
ABSTRACT
This article deals with the interface of surrogacy in India and law which presents itself to be weak and
not very well established. Surrogacy is a controversial, frowned upon and anti- traditional means of
reproduction and in our country is looked upon as a taboo, and like most taboos, it leads to the
abridgement of rights and exploitation of the people involved in it. Due to lack of any significant
furthering adjudication by the Honble Supreme Court of India there is vast confusion rampant
INTRODUCTION
Surrogacy in India is a practice that in modern India has just emerged to light, although can
be found in historical and mythological epics such as the birth of the seventh son of Devaki
and Vasudeva, however in the Sovereign Socialist Democratic Republic of India there is
absence of legislation, regulatory or otherwise, and in the absence of any such legislation
India has become a large and attractive “market” for surrogacy around the world. In the
absence of legislation in regard of surrogacy there is ease for intended parents to have their
child grow in the womb of another woman. The legal issues related with surrogacy are very
conflict of various interests and has inscrutable impact on the primary unit of society viz.
family.1
Surrogacy has been allowed since 2002 of the types Altruistic and Commercial. So, it is the
urgent need of the hour to get the legal status of the surrogacy because foreigners are
travelling to India for the babies as the expenses are very less when compared to the other
1
Law commission of India, Report no. 228
2
Surrogacy in Indian context-bliss or curse? By Aditya Mishra
2
India has become a surrogacy tourism destination for the developed countries of the west due
to lower medical costs, lack of any legislation whatsoever, and lack of awareness of rights in
such matters amongst the population and this has led to commodification of the womb in
India. Rather than a social practice, surrogacy is taking a form of a business in India. It seems
that wombs in India are on rent which translates into babies for foreigners and dollars for
Indian surrogate mothers.3 For example the district of Anand in Gujarat, India’s cooperative
Anand a town of 1.8 million people known to the world as the capital of the white revolution
is a fairly poverty ridden. Anonymous, whose husband had abandoned her after the birth of
their second child stated she earned Rs 2000 a month. Surrogating a child for an NRI couple,
The absence of any legislation creates a solid market that has no regulations, however a bill is
due in the parliament but so far no laws or guidelines have been laid down by any legislation
for surrogacy. This poses a plethora of moral as well as legal problems and questions. The
only available guidelines in India regarding surrogacy are from the Indian Council for
Medical Research set out in 2005 however these guidelines have no legal validity and are not
enforceable.
Men and women of full age without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion have
the right to marry and found a family.4 It is to be understood as a reproductive right and the
autonomy of the surrogate mother over her body. However, the question which arises is that,
3
Law Commission of India, Report no. 228
4
Declaration of Human Rights 1948.
3
commodification of the child and whether it amounts to buying a baby? Which reverts back
to the previous question that whether the right to found a family would entitle one to
adoption. This is because the Hindu Adoption And Maintenance Act 1956 prohibits any
receiving or giving of reward or payment for adoption.5 This further complicates the debate
The rights of the people involved in a surrogacy arrangement is another very vital topic that
needs to be addressed. Different countries and states have different approaches to this
problem. In UK while surrogacy is not illegal, a surrogacy agreement is not enforceable. The
surrogate mother is entitled to keep the baby as hers and deny it to the intended or
any such time until a parental order is made by a statutory authority. No surrogacy
The supreme court of India however, ordered the child to be handed over to the Japanese
intended parents who had split up before the delivery of the baby.7
Therefore, giving a legal status to commercial surrogacy in India the rights of the people
5
Section 17 Prohibition of certain payments, Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act 1956.
6
Surrogacy Arrangements Act 1985
7
In the case of Baby Manji Yamada v Union of India and Anr (2008) 13 SCC 518
4
Surrogacy agreements as contracts in India must be looked at under the light of The Indian
Elements of a valid contract as given are a proposal, an acceptance, free consent, lawful
object and lawful consideration, and not hereby expressly declared to be void.8
16 and S.19A of the Indian Contract Act 1872 the important questions that must be answered
are
1. Is the surrogate actually capable of providing consent in light of the nature of the
situation?
2. Is the consent of the spouse of the surrogate (if married) should be necessary for a
3. Does economic duress, much like in the district of Anand amount to violation of free
consent?
To answer the first questions, a pregnancy is a condition under which any woman is naturally
inclined to form an affection towards the child growing inside of her so as such to experience
“a change of heart”. This is to understand consent as “informed consent” herein the party
is not one such phenomenon that can be understood completely prior to pregnancy or having
a child to raise. In the landmark Baby M case the supreme court of New Jersey said
“Under the contract, the natural mother is irrevocably committed before she knows the
8
Essentials of a valid contract, Section 10, Indian Contract Act 1872
5
strength of her bond with her child. She never makes a totally voluntary, informed decision,
for quite clearly any decision prior to the baby's birth is, in the most important sense,
uninformed, and any decision after that, compelled by a pre-existing contractual commitment,
the threat of a lawsuit, and the inducement of a $10,000 payment, is less than totally
voluntary.”9
Therefore, the contention to be raised that the consent to such an agreement is voluntary or
For the second question, spousal consent for a woman to act as a surrogate, there is a strong
risk of undue influence under section 16 of the Indian Contract Act 1872, that any spouse is
mostly in a situation to influence the decision of their wife. Unto that question, another
contention that is prevalent is whether it should be necessary to have the consent of the
spouse.
It can be contested that since right to procreate is a basic human right, therefore a right to
decide with whom to procreate is an inhibit within that right. However, how would this right
be limited or altered in an institution of marriage. Shall the wife have complete bodily
autonomy without consideration of their spouse to undergo a surrogacy or shall the spouse
The right to make free and informed decisions about health care and medical treatment,
including decisions about one’s own fertility and sexuality, is enshrined in Articles 12 and 16
(1978).10
9
109 N.J 396
10
Reducing reproductive rights: spousal consent for abortion and sterilisation by Rajalakshmi, Indian Journal of
Medical ethics.
6
However, in the case of Ghosh v Ghosh the Supreme Court of India has held that exclusion of
without the consent of their spouse. Building upon the same logic, there is a strong contention
that a surrogacy agreement must want for the consent of the spouse.
To answer the third question, it can be easily looked at the fundamental principles of contract
law in common law, wherein economic duress can violate the consent of the party, thus
In the district of Anand, Gujarat it is observed that most of the surrogates are women living
The presumption of law arises when there is an apparent inherent disparity in the bargaining
power of the parties and economic duress could very well create this disparity.
Other legal consequences could arise in case the consent is found to be not free. Should the
surrogate have the right to terminate the pregnancy outside the walls of the Medical and
Other rights of the surrogates need to be enumerated by way of legislation to protect the
interest of the women of our country against exploitation from the upper classes and foreign
citizens who can afford to pay for the cheaper surrogacy arrangements and as much as one
11
(2007) 4 SCC 511
7
With aspects such as consent and object discussed, the classification of a surrogacy contract
is somehow complex. Often the question that presents itself is whether surrogacy amounts to
have to make suitable device to bring Surrogacy in the ambit of Contact of Bailment and
thereby provide relief (damages) to the Bailee in case of her physical and mental damage
Bailment as defined under section 148 of the Indian Contract Act 1872 is a contract for
delivery of goods for a specific purpose and as and when the purpose is complete the bailee
The act of surrogacy is similar to the Contract of Bailment, wherein the surrogate (Bailee)
agrees to act on the directions given by the intending parents (bailor) upon a condition that
once the work (delivery) is done the goods bailed (embryos/ gametes in the form of baby)
However, it is to be considered whether it is Baby that is bailed goods or the uterus of the
surrogate that would be constructively delivered for a specific purpose to the intended
parents. However, for a delivery there must be transfer of control. And the surrogate does not
The other presumption is that the baby is the bailed goods and that the intended parents are
bailor.
This agreement contradicts the principles of human body cannot being tenured and the human
12
The Bailment of Womb (Altruistic or Commercial): Hidden Psychological & Legal Torments by Mrs. Shagufta
Anjum, international Journal of Innovative Research and Advanced Studies.
13
Supra 12
8
individuals situations cannot being tenured and it can be claimed that it is discordant with the
general order.14
Howsoever it does satisfy the conditions for goods according to the Sales of Goods Act i.e.
The classification of surrogacy contract as a bailment contract amplifies and protects the
CONCLUSION
Elaborate and effective legislation, enumeration and protection of rights of the people
the surrogate and the spouse of the surrogate is essential due to the widespread practice of
surrogacy amongst married women in India for whom providing the services of their womb is
an opportunity to escape poverty and provide for a better future for themselves and their
families. It is essential to understand the mental toll that it takes ion the spouse of the
surrogate and it must be understood that while it is an extremely demanding promise for the
surrogate to deliver, the spouses of the surrogate have their lives attached to those of the
surrogates and must be taken in regard in the decision making process. The enforceability of
By its very nature, surrogacy is a slight tamper with motherhood, therefore, for the time being
in absence of other legislation, the rights of surrogates and intended parents should be
14
Uterus surrogacy: a jurisprudence and law perspective by Marzieh Maraqeh, International Journal of
Humanities and Cultural Studies.