Surrogacy And Things You Should Know About It.

Nature has bestowed women with a beautiful gift to procreate life. Every woman cherishes the experience of motherhood and longs for it. But unfortunately, some women due to the certain physiological condition could not give birth to their own offspring.  Infertility/ childlessness cause great personal suffering & distress. Most of this agony & misery is hidden from the public gaze. That is the reason this topic is not discussed openly. The dismal ignorance & neglect about the causes of childlessness and its treatment are the main reason for the lack of public support for childless couple. Female fertility can be limited or diminished or destroyed in a number of ways.

The urge of motherhood leads them to seek alternative solutions like Artificial Reproduction Technology (ART), In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF), Intra-Uterine Injections (IUI), etc. That is a hope to many infertile couples, who long to have a child of their own.
All along with advances in medical sciences and technology methods such as donor insemination, embryo transfer methods are also gaining popularity.

Surrogacy is one of the many ways to get over infertility. It means something different to each person it touches. For intended parents, it is the chance to finally complete their family and realize their dreams of parenthood. For surrogates, it is the chance of a lifetime to give selflessly to another family who needs them.

For both parties, surrogacy is an extraordinary journey and a deeply rewarding experience unlike any other. In this article, discover some of the surrogacy’s top benefits for the couples and individuals whose lives are changed by this experience. Surrogacy is an emotional journey, full of ups and downs on the way of creating a family.

What is Surrogacy?

As commonly understood, Surrogacy is a form of assisted reproductive technology ( ART ) where a woman (the surrogate) offers to carry a baby through pregnancy on behalf of another person or couple and then return the baby to the intended parent(s) once it is born.

Surrogacy is an arrangement, often supported by a legal agreement, whereby a woman (the surrogate mother) agrees to become pregnant and give birth to a child for another person(s) who is or will become the parent(s) of the child. … Receiving money for the arrangement is sometimes known as commercial surrogacy.

Surrogacy involves the process of in vitro fertilization. During IVF, an egg and sperm are combined in the laboratory to create an embryo. The embryo is later implanted into the surrogate’s uterus for her to carry the pregnancy.

In gestational surrogacy, an egg is removed from the intended mother or an anonymous donor and fertilized with the sperm of the intended father or anonymous donor.

The fertilized egg, or embryo, is then transferred to a surrogate who carries the baby to term. Traditional surrogate. It’s a woman who gets artificially inseminated with the father’s sperm. She then carries the baby and delivers it for you and your partner to raise. A traditional surrogate is the baby’s biological mother.

Kinds of Surrogacy

Now let me take you to the classification of this complex process. It has been classified into two types in two different ways.

First, on the basis of involvement of people biologically.

Traditional – In this process, the sperm of the parent a man goes through the IVF with surrogate mother’s ova or ovum.

Gestational – When a woman is not ready for the pain of pregnancy, surrogacy is a good option for that couple if they still want to have a child of their own.

Second, on the basis of the interest of the surrogate mother.

Altruistic – The surrogate mother will not get paid in case it’s altruistic, for charity. But during the pregnancy, she has all rights to get the utmost care and required compensation.

Commercialized – After pregnancy when the child is born, it delivers to the intending parent. And in return, they pay some money to surrogate mother. In this way, the motherhood gets commercialized. And poor woman gets an opportunity to earn for her family.

There are many celebs who have been fortunate to have a child through this method. Such as Shahrukh Khan, Karan Johar, Amir Khan, Farah Khan, Kim Kardashian, Sunny Leone, Tusshar Kapoor, etc. Still, it’s an anathema for the World.

Commercial surrogacy in India was legalized in India in 2002 and outlawed in 2018. During the nearly two decades it was legal, India was a major provider of surrogacy for both domestic and international intended parents.

How the World is looking at it?

Experts say that the countries popular with parents for surrogacy arrangements are the U.S., India, Thailand, Ukraine, and Russia. A bit behind but Mexico, Nepal, Poland, and Georgia are also among the countries described as possibilities for these arrangements.

Costs vary significantly from country to country. Families Through Surrogacy, an international non-profit organization had estimated the approximate average costs in different countries.

• United States – $100,000
• India – $47,350
• Thailand – $52,000
• Ukraine – $49,950
• Georgia – $49,950
• Mexico – $45,000

Commercial surrogacy in India was legalized in India in 2002 and outlawed in 2018. During the nearly two decades it was legal, India was a major provider of surrogacy for both domestic and international intended parents.

There is an availability of skilled doctors now in the country. Yet there is no legal regulation on this practice. The country’s large population is responsible for the large and never-ending supply of surrogate mothers.

But India is finally, considering legislation which could massively restrict it. And it will shut the door to singles, homosexuals, NRIs, PIOs, and foreigners.

Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2018 is banning unmarried women to become a surrogate mother. And most importantly it has declared a ban on commercialized surrogacy.

Consequently, it will force the whole arrangement to be underground. Also, then it can become more complicated and difficult to hear about the mishaps.
Similarly, countries such as China, Pakistan, Japan, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, and Bulgaria prohibited all forms of surrogacy a long ago.

Surprisingly there are nations that yet not have any kind of regulation-Venezuela, Peru, Poland, Sweden, South Korea, Ireland, Iran, and Chile.

Need for regulation

There are no internationally recognized laws for surrogacy, so many parents and children are being left vulnerable or even stateless. Sometimes it takes several months to bring the child back to the parents’ home country.

The Gammy case

In Thailand, surrogate mothers are seen as legal mothers ( same as the U.K.) so if the parent leaves the baby with the surrogate, she’ll be legally responsible. This is one of the difficulties seen in the Gammy case.

In that case, the Australian parents left out one of the twins because the child was born with Down Syndrome. And due to the ban on surrogacy in Australia, Thai woman has to keep the child with her.

Whereas in India, the intending parents are seen as the legal parents, that means a surrogate baby born in India, for U.K. parents, is born stateless and has to apply for British citizenship.

What kind of rules are needed?

Many experts argue that an international agreement similar to The Hague Adoption Convention is needed. So that rules are consistent across different countries. However, this could be difficult since countries are divided in their views on surrogacy. But not at all an impossible thing to do.

Prof. Beaumont suggested that regulation is also needed to ensure that “ clinics are properly regulated and mothers are adequately compensated, given proper healthcare, and properly consenting”.

Although it is difficult to get strong evidence of exploration it is also possible that, like any potentially lucrative industry, surrogacy could be open to abuse with women. And they are being forced to act as surrogates for profiteers, Prof. Beaumont says.

Hence, surrogacy has its own pros and cons. And we can certainly not ignore the worldwide effects of its mismanagement.

The UN body must act with making an alliance in concern of it. Because there are millions of lives are on stake. And it is important that the U.N. include this issue in its seventeen Sustainable Development Goals.

Surrogacy Benefits for Intended Parents

Intended parents come from all different backgrounds — many are same-sex couples or hopeful single parents who are ready to start a family, while others have struggled for years with infertility and have exhausted their fertility treatment options. However, all of these intended parents have one thing in common: a strong desire to add to their families. For these couples and individuals, surrogacy makes this dream possible.

The advantages of surrogacy are clear to the hundreds of families who have been created in this special way. Here are just a few surrogacy benefits that intended parents enjoy:

• Surrogacy allows infertile couples, single people and members of the LGBT community to become parents when they may not be able to have children otherwise.

• In most cases, gestational surrogacy allows one or both parents to be biologically related to their child.

• This method gives hopeful parents the opportunity to raise a child from birth.

• Intended parents are involved throughout the pregnancy experience and are generally able to be present for many key milestones, from the embryo transfer to their baby’s birth.

• Surrogacy gives intended parents the opportunity to know and form a special bond with their surrogate and her family.

• Intended parents may face fewer restrictions with surrogacy than with adoption; those who cannot adopt due to agency restrictions on factors like age can still pursue surrogacy.

• Surrogates have already carried other pregnancies and have a proven uterus, increasing their chances of successfully carrying a surrogate pregnancy. This may make surrogacy more likely to be successful than fertility treatments for intended parents.

• This process also gives intended parents more control and peace of mind throughout the pregnancy than they usually have with fertility treatments or adoption.

While surrogacy is not without its challenges for intended parents, it is often the answer to years of hard work and frustration for hopeful couples and individuals who have tried unsuccessfully to add to their families.

Benefits for Surrogate Mothers

Surrogacy’s benefits for intended parents are clear: these couples and individuals are finally able to add to their families, often after years of trying and hoping for success. But what are the benefits of surrogacy for the women who help them achieve this goal?

Every surrogacy is different, and each surrogate may walk away from her experience with different benefits and rewards. However, each surrogacy is life-changing, and there is something to be gained from every journey.

Here are some of the main ways surrogacy can benefit these amazing women and their families:

• Surrogates enjoy a deep sense of personal satisfaction and pride knowing they have helped another family in such an incredible and life-altering way.

• Women who choose surrogacy are able to share their pregnancy journey with the intended parents and develop a strong bond throughout the process. Many surrogates develop lasting relationships with the families they help create.

• It allows women who enjoy being pregnant to experience pregnancy again, even if their own families are complete.

• Surrogates often enjoy a strong sense of community with other women who have been in their shoes.

• Surrogates involve their family members, friends, and other supportive people in the process and are able to set a wonderful example of selflessness and generosity for those around them.

• All of the surrogate’s expenses are paid for and reimbursed throughout the pregnancy, and she will enjoy a variety of services throughout the process, including top-notch healthcare and counselling services.

• In compensated surrogacy, the surrogate also receives base compensation that can be applied to her financial goals, such as saving for a house or college education.

Surrogacy can be a physically and emotionally demanding experience, and it takes a special person to be a surrogate for another family. However, the women who choose surrogacy agree that seeing a completed family at the end of their journey is the ultimate reward that makes it all worth it.

There are many factors to consider before pursuing surrogacy, and it is not right for everyone. The intended parents and surrogates who choose surrogacy find that the positives far outweigh the negatives, and it is a rewarding experience that deeply enriches the lives of everyone it touches.