Surrogacy:
It is often devastating and life changing experience
for women to discover that for various reasons they cannot become pregnant and
have children of their own. In most cases these include unsuccessful attempts
at assisted reproductive technology (ART) or having a non-functional uterus,
the remaining option other than adoption is surrogacy. Surrogacy is the process
of giving birth as a surrogate mother or of arranging such a birth. There are
two kinds of surrogate mothers, which are traditional and gestational.
A. Traditional
surrogates: a woman who is artificially inseminated with the father’s sperm.
She then carries the baby and delivers it for the parents to raise.
B. Gestational
surrogates: In vitro fertilization (IVF) makes it possible to harvest eggs from
the mother, fertilize them with sperm from the father. A gestational surrogate
has no genetic ties with the child.
Some the ways to finding a surrogate is through family
and friends. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine accepts certain
family ties as acceptable for surrogates. In this case scenario, the child
would carry the same genes as a child born of incest between first relatives.
Another option that can be used is a surrogacy agency. There are an estimated
100 agencies operating in the U.S. The
agency goes as far as helping parents find suitable surrogates, makes
arrangements, and collects fees. The cost for surrogacy can range from $80,000
to $120,000. The factors that determine the cost include whether the surrogate
has medical insurance or the parents have to buy a surrogacy-pregnancy policy
for her.
Background: In
many countries, surrogacy has been a prevalent practice since pre-historic
times. Within many religions and civilizations, surrogate mothers were praised
for their good deeds and service to others.
American
Indians: If an American Indian woman was found to be infertile, the family
would have to consult a doctor. If the herbal remedies did not work, the
husband would take another woman and impregnate her. There would be no relationship
with the barren wife.
Spanish
Royals: In Spain, the king would take in several surrogates until a son was
born. The surrogate mother will become a nanny to all the royal children.
Modern
Day: The modern concept of surrogacy dates back to mid -1970s. Noel Keane
wrote the first surrogacy contract.
The first traditional paid surrogacy
arrangement was conducted in 1980 where a 37 year old woman acted as a
surrogate and paid $10,000 upon the successful delivery of the baby.
Yet some may say this is a good option for families that can 't produce their own children, but there are many issues raised by surrogacy. These
include: rights of the children produced, fraud by surrogacy companies,
exploitation, and transforming a women’s body into a commercial transaction. Stay tuned!
LeAnna,
ReplyDeleteThis is such an interesting topic, I really enjoyed reading your post. I think it is insane how much money this costs.
Very interesting indeed. But I have to challenge the phrase "cannot become pregnant and have children of their own" - I understand how devastating it can be, to have to relinquish the dream of biological offspring. I hope, however, that prospective parents in that position will also consider how joyous it can be to raise adoptive children. In neither case are they "their own," children are autonomous individuals. ("Your children are not YOUR children," as Kahlil Gibran said.) The rewards of adoptive parenting, though, are great. This alternative to expensive and emotionally-fraught surrogacy should not be neglected.
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