{"id":362,"date":"2021-06-05T14:27:40","date_gmt":"2021-06-05T14:27:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/objectnow.org\/?page_id=362"},"modified":"2023-04-17T18:33:41","modified_gmt":"2023-04-17T18:33:41","slug":"surrogacy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/objectnow.org\/surrogacy\/","title":{"rendered":"Surrogacy"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px|10vw|0px|10vw|true|true” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_text_color=”#E55381″ header_font_size=”8vh” header_letter_spacing=”5px” global_colors_info=”{%22gcid-bb435acc-144b-43c9-800b-a849eade0cd8%22:%91%93}”]<\/p>\n

> surrogacy<\/h1>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]OBJECT <\/b>has been campaigning against the surrogacy industry since 2017.<\/span><\/p>\n

Surrogacy means a woman\u2019s womb is <\/span>\u2018rented\u2019 <\/i><\/b>\u2013 for money, she gets pregnant (via artificial insemination of sperm, or implantation of an egg ( from the \u2018mother\u2019 or a \u2018donor\u2019), to follow rules during the pregnancy (such as aborting foetuses which do not meet the buyers\u2019 wishes) and to then give up her baby to the \u2018buyers\u2019 when it is born.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Harms of Surrogacy<\/h4>\n

Objectification<\/strong>
\n<\/span>Surrogacy is like prostitution<\/span><\/a> – it commodifies women\u2019s bodies as objects available for purchase.\u00a0 In prostitution, women\u2019s bodies are purchased for sexual abuse by men; surrogacy is the purchase of women\u2019s bodies to exploit their reproductive function.<\/span><\/p>\n

Both these industries rely on the concept of a woman\u2019s body as an object that is somehow separate from the woman herself \u2013 the idea of a split self, or mind\/body disconnection.\u00a0 A woman is required to disassociate in order to allow others to treat her body as an object.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>We OBJECT.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>Like the prostitute who says \u201cmy body is not myself,\u201d the surrogate says \u201cthe child is not mine.\u201d\u201d
\n<\/span><\/i>Kajsa Ekis Ekman (2013)<\/span> Being and Being Bought. <\/span><\/i>\u00a0pp. 172<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Financial Exploitation<\/strong>
\n<\/b>Poor women in poor countries are often used as cheap \u2018wombs for rent\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLakhsmi, 29 years old, has two children and an alcoholic husband, and debts totaling 4,000 USD. For her, the \u2018choice\u2019 was either to sell a kidney or become a surrogate. A doctor advised her to opt for surrogacy: \u201c[W]ith a single kidney left, I might live for a shorter time. I have a daughter. I have to get her married \u2026 I prefer to be a surrogate.\u201d\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Kajsa Ekis Ekman (2013)<\/span> Being and Being Bought.<\/span><\/i> pp.\u00a0 168-169<\/span><\/p>\n

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Exploitation of \u2018Altruism\u2019
\n<\/b><\/span>So-called \u2018altruistic\u2019 surrogacy \u2013 for example, where a woman \u2018rents her womb\u2019 and gives away her baby to her sister \u2013 is also harmful.\u00a0 Women are exploited through their desire to be \u2018altruistic\u2019 and fulfill the \u2018feminine\u2019 sex role of serving others, endangering themselves and ignoring their own feelings in order to meet the demands of their family, friends or community.<\/span><\/p>\n

A woman interviewed on the Australian TV programme <\/span><\/a>Insight<\/span><\/i> described her experience of being a \u2018surrogate\u2019 for a \u2018friend\u2019<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 Her husband argued with her when she wanted to take a pregnancy test, claiming that she should not be allowed to do so without permission from the \u2018baby procurer\u2019.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This woman was eventually coerced into having an abortion against her wishes \u2013 the foetus had a genetic defect and the \u2018baby procurer\u2019 didn\u2019t want it.\u00a0 En route to the abortion clinic, the mother told the \u2018baby procurer\u2019 that she \u201cwouldn\u2019t want to go through with it\u201d if it was \u201c[her] baby.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, she felt that the decision wasn\u2019t \u201cmorally\u201d hers, even though it was legally.\u00a0 Despite the mother\u2019s words and body language during the interview, she doesn\u2019t acknowledge that she was exploited \u2013 she even says she is still \u2018friends\u2019 with the woman who pressured her to have an abortion and who subsequently took away her baby.<\/span><\/p>\n

The documentary <\/span>Wombs For Hire<\/span><\/i><\/a> tells the story of Sandra, 29, who gave birth to a child for an infertile couple.\u00a0 Although she was paid for the surrogacy, her main motive was \u2018altruism\u2019.\u00a0 She was enamoured with the idea of helping a couple have a child.\u00a0 Her motivation seemed to stem from lack of self worth.\u00a0 She had recently left a relationship and said she wanted to \u201cgive a meaning to her life.\u201d\u00a0 She revealed her disassociative state, saying, \u201cI needed to make this gesture to prove that I really exist.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After giving birth to her child, Sandra almost died and lost her uterus due to medical complications.\u00a0 The infertile couple in whom she sought \u2018worth\u2019 and validation simply stole away her baby, with no regard for the woman they\u2019d exploited.\u00a0 Sandra wanted to be allowed to visit her child regularly, but the couple moved away from the area.\u00a0 The couple refused to even speak to the documentary team at all after Sandra lost her uterus (and her baby).<\/span><\/p>\n

Egg \u2018Donation\u2019
\nYoung women are targeted by adverts inviting them to \u2018donate\u2019 their eggs in order to \u2018help\u2019 infertile couples have \u2018their own\u2019 children.\u00a0 Large sums of money are offered to entice students who may naively think this is a relatively harmless way of earning extra cash.\u00a0 The industry exploits the \u2018altruism\u2019 of young women, claiming that by \u2018donating\u2019 their eggs they are helping others \u2018fulfill their dream\u2019 of having a child.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

The harms of egg \u2018donation\u2019 are poorly researched.\u00a0 According to a report by The Centre For Bioethics and Culture Network (2011), there is \u201clittle to no peer-reviewed medical research on the long-term safety effects of egg procurement on the health of the young women who provide their eggs.\u201d However, the health risks of egg retrieval are known to include \u201cOvarian Hyper Stimulation syndrome (OHSS) due to superovulation, loss of fertility, ovarian torsion, blood clots, kidney disease, premature menopause, ovarian cysts, chronic pelvic pain, stroke, reproductive cancers, and in some cases, death.\u201d (ibid.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Trailer for a documentary produced by The Centre For Bioethics and Culture Network on the egg \u2018donation\u2019 industry:<\/span>Mother\u2019s Rights<\/b>. <\/span>Throughout the pregnancy, the demands of the \u2018baby buyers\u2019 and the wishes of the mother may be at odds.\u00a0 When this occurs, the desires of the \u2018buyers\u2019 will often supersede those of the mother, particularly where the mother is financially dependent on the \u2018buyers\u2019.\u00a0 This means the mother may endure unwanted abortions and medical interventions (such as a caesarean section).<\/span><\/p>\n

Once the baby is born, the mother must give it away to the \u2018buyers\u2019, along with her right to ever see or know her own child. In cases where the baby is conceived via a sperm donation, the \u2018surrogate\u2019 mother is genetically related to the child and may retain some rights.\u00a0 <\/span>This has resulted in custody cases<\/span><\/a> where the birth mother changes her mind and decides she wants to keep her child.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For this reason, \u2018gestational surrogacy\u2019 is becoming a popular alternative in the surrogacy industry.\u00a0 This involves the implantation of a fertilised \u2018donated\u2019 egg into the \u2018surrogate\u2019 mother\u2019s uterus.\u00a0 This means the \u2018surrogate\u2019 mother is not genetically related to the child and has no legal rights whatsoever over the child once it is born \u2013 <\/span>the mother\u2019s name does not even appear on the birth certificate.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Children\u2019s Rights
\n<\/b><\/span>The practice of surrogacy involves baby trafficking \u2013 the buying and selling of babies. The act of separating a baby from it\u2019s mother immediately after birth causes trauma to both parties. When the child is grown, he or she may learn that he\/she is a \u2018product\u2019 of exploitation and was purchased from their mother. Proponents of surrogacy ignore the right of a baby to know and to be with their own mother.<\/span><\/p>\n

This short video on \u2018The Harms of Surrogacy\u2019 summarises the harms that occur to a child who is born as a \u2018product\u2019 of surrogacy, and portrays the reactions of mothers upon having their newborn babies stolen away:<\/span><\/p>\n

Eugenics
\n<\/strong><\/span>Those who buy babies are able to demand the abortion of babies who do not meet their specifications, or to withhold payment. The advent of \u2018gestational surrogacy\u2019 allows \u2018baby buyers\u2019 to use poor women of different ethnicities as incubators, while not having to worry about having a child \u2018tainted\u2019 by another race\u2019s genes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>With traditional surrogacy, the industry had been limited to the Western world. An Indian mother would have meant a child with Indian features. But suddenly, through the miracle of modern technology, it became possible for an Indian woman to give birth to a white child.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Kajsa Ekis Ekman (2013)<\/span> Being and Being Bought.<\/span><\/i> pp. 128<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Additionally, <\/span>egg \u2018donation\u2019 adverts often specify donor requirements<\/span> such as a particular ethnicity, an \u2018attractive\u2019 physical appearance, height, IQ score over a certain threshold, good physical fitness and health etc.<\/span>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#f4f4f4″ custom_padding=”2vh|2vw|2vh|2vw|true|true” border_radii=”on|10px|10px|10px|10px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

OBJECT\u2019s work on SURROGACY<\/b><\/h4>\n

2021 OBJECT\u2019S report<\/b> on Women\u2019s View of Surrogacy is now available<\/a>. This corrects the one-sided impression (created by the UK Law Commission and biassed All-Party Parliamentary Group on Surrogacy run by lobby group Surrogacy UK) that surrogacy is an unmitigated good.<\/span><\/p>\n

2020\u00a0 <\/b>OBJECTinar<\/b><\/a> \u2018Surrogacy, the many problems\u2019\u00a0 featuring <\/span>Jennifer Lahl <\/span><\/a>of the Center for Bioethics and Culture, <\/span>Gary Powell<\/span><\/a>, gay rights campaigner,\u00a0 Laila Namdarkhan and Lauren Hamstead of OBJECT and Olivia Palmer.<\/span><\/p>\n

2019 OBJECT\u2019s <\/b>Essay Prize on the harms of surrogacy was won by Lauren Hamstead.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Recommended Books on Surrogacy<\/b><\/p>\n