Surrogacy is a blessing in disguise for those couples for whom childbirth is an impossibility. Even though adoption would be an option to parents, it is never as fulfilling and complete as having one’s own. Surrogate mothers who help deliver childless couples’ offspring are a divine intervention to these otherwise distraught life partners. Holding a baby that is one’s own flesh and blood bearing a striking resemblance to one or the better half against nature’s law is nothing short of a miracle making one’s dream come true. Barrenness and complications are defied by the laws of science making it possible for a woman incapable of child conception to bask in the glory of motherhood.
Commercial surrogacy as a permitted fertility treatment began in India, the surrogacy capital of the world, in 2002 for both residents and non-residents with the cost ranging between $20,000 to 30,000. Couples from different parts of the world approached surrogate mothers via medical centres and clinics to have their babies delivered at a price that is five times cheaper than the United States of America. In-Vitro Fertilisation procedures are carried out to ensure that surrogacy is a success. We are not unfamiliar with the process of mixing the eggs removed form the ovary with male sperm and leaving it in an incubator for fertilisation to take place. Most of us are also aware that once the fertilisation has taken place, the embryo, after three days, is then transferred into the surrogate mother’s uterus through a tube. Parents pay the surrogate mothers to eat healthy, go for regular check-ups and exercise and for carrying the baby for nine months before bringing a healthy baby out into the world.
The trend of hiring surrogate mothers for babies was continued by successful women in the corporate world who were not allowed to take time off for pregnancy and who did not want any changes to happen to their body for career reasons. Being at the peak of their career and not wanting to throw away all the sacrifices they had made to get where they were and their hard work to start a family, the women resorted to surrogacy as their only option. By the time women made it into the coveted positions, they had either crossed the threshold of middle age or close to 40 which made it increasingly difficult for these career women to become mothers. Therefore, they opted for surrogacy. Since November 2016, Indian Surrogacy Bill allows only married Indian couples to opt for altruistic or unpaid surrogacy as opposed to 2015 amendment in law which allowed non resident heterosexual couples to hire surrogate mothers for babies.
Commercial surrogacy is not exclusive to India; it has extended to other countries like the US, Russia, Ukraine, Thailand, Mexico etc. While altruistic surrogacy is allowed in Australia, commercial surrogacy has been declared illegal in all the states of Australia. Even though it is not a commercial enterprise, more and more Australian mothers are volunteering to become surrogate mothers with the noble intention of helping barren women become mothers.
In the modern world, it may not be possible to witness prophets or saints or the Son of God perform miracles for people, however, Science had contributed to many miracles in the recent years and still is and Surrogacy is just one of them.
A Writer's Exposé 