Surrogacy in India: Bioethics, Human Rights and Agency

The author of the book interviewed 45 surrogate mothers (SMs) who had completed 63 births and delivered 90 children from 2007 to 2017. All of the surrogate mothers had completed surrogacy when they were interviewed. This research indicates that serious violations of human rights and medical ethics continue; women are held in foster homes against their will, sex-selective abortions are performed, the restrictions placed on women in foster homes are inhumane, none of the women are given a copy of the contract, the way they relinquish their children is also inhumane, as some are shown the face of the children and others are not, some are expected to bond with their children, most end up alienated. Women are selected for surrogacy on the basis of their class, age, colour, religion, caste and salary varies according to these categories. Women do all this for money. Most of the households are poor, some are very poor, the women do it to get a higher order of their current class status. Most of the clients were foreign couples and Indians. Almost all surrogate mothers (93%) believe that the process of surrogacy is a form of slavery, and the majority (67%) felt that it was similar to a form of sexual exploitation of their reproductive organs. The majority of women used surrogacy to build/buy a house. It is the housing, health and education situation that is the main reason for surrogacy practices in India. It is important that the public and private education, health and housing sectors in India are focused on health and education for all, as well as the provision of affordable housing.