Commercial surrogate mothers

Commercialization of motherhood
Surrogate pregnancies

Nature

Surrogate mothers carry and give birth to a child for another, to whom it is then transferred. The transaction may involve payment, or may be done without charge by a relative. Use of a surrogate mother is usually the response of a childless couple who are unable to naturally conceive or go through a pregnancy. The surrogate mother may receive an artificially fertilized egg from the parents' gametes, or from anonymous sources, as an womb implant, or she may become pregnant naturally by having sexual intercourse with the father.

Incidence

In 1997, an Italian woman carried two embryos at once for two different couples, in return for which she received expenses. The implantation and births had to be performed outside of Italy, where medical codes forbid surrogate motherhood.

Claim

Surrogate motherhood, or womb-leasing, might be regarded as prostitution of motherhood. Also, the for-profit nature of some of the business involved may be considered as cheapening human life and turning it into a consumer product.

The 1997 Italian case of commercial surrogate motherhood blows the whole concept of the family, of brothers, and of twins to pieces. The pregnancy is a new step toward madness.

Counter-claim

Surrogate motherhood should not be prohibited by law because such law would probably be unenforceable, and the practice might be considered justifiable when a couple are unable to have children by any other means.