Boom in surrogacy despite recession
Anchal Vohra
Thursday, January 01, 2009, (New Delhi)
The government is working on drafting a new law to police surrogate pregnancies amid fears that the country's booming rent-a-womb industry is running out of control.
A new trend shows that even in the time of recession, there are many young and educated women who have turned to surrogacy as their side profession.
"I worked as a sales executive in a good store. My company faced losses and my salary was deducted. My husband's canteen was demolished. We were unable to make ends meet. So I decided to rent my womb," said a surrogate mother.
She is mother of a two-year-old child and is hit by recession. She has now decided to rent her womb to tide over the financial crises at home.
The global meltdown has given a boost to the surrogacy industry. This young mother will get Rs 2.5 lakh for her services, double of what she earned as a sales executive in a year. Her doctor says that's because she's not just healthy but also educated.
"You've a better chance of getting more compensation if you are educated than the ones who are not," said Dr Shivani Sachdev Gour, fertility expert, Phoenix Hospital.
Being a surrogate mother is a job, a service you get paid for. The surrogate mother gets money and people who want children, get babies. It is a win-win situation. But what will this demand and supply lead to in absence of a law?
"If every year, every second year she decides to be a surrogate mother. What will happen to her if the mentality is to earn money by giving birth," said Dr Girija Vyas, chairperson, NCW.
The surrogate mother also knows she has no right on the child.
"I am treating this as a profession. I have to give the baby and take the money," said a surrogate mother.