Surrogate mothers, surrogate motherhood
What is surrogate mothering ?
Despite controversial and ethical issues arising out of it, surrogacy has been gaining popularity all over the world especially in the west where adoption is not easy to come by.
Research has stated that one-in-six couples have problems with infertility. Some use medical treatments to overcome this situation, for some however, no help is available. It’s these couples where the woman has undergone a hysterectomy, or suffered multiple miscarriages, or born without a womb where surrogacy comes to the rescue.
The dictionary meaning of the term `surrogate’ is a substitute. There are two forms of it. One, when a surrogate has a child for a couple where the husband is the genetic father and the surrogate the genetic mother. Two, called Host mothering is where the surrogate carries the genetic child of both the husband and wife through IVF/gift technique which requires the doctor’s intervention.
The most common form is a straight surrogacy, where the surrogate bears a child for a childless couple. In this case the husband’s sperm is artificially inseminated into the surrogate. The couple can draw up an agreement privately with the surrogate and arrange to pay for her expenses and the child’s while it is in her womb. This is a legal precedent, which has been allowed in most countries. However, the agreements are not binding and either one can back out of it anytime. It basically works on trust.
In order to minimize the misuse of surrogacy certain guidelines have been laid down. A contract needs to be drawn up which should specify that the child becomes the legitimate adopted child of the intended couple. The couple, the surrogate and her husband should sign this document.
The road to surrogacy is hard and long. Things are bound to go wrong as one cannot foresee the possibility of the surrogate keeping the child, the child being still born or even dying at birth. However, it’s an option some childless couples are willing to consider despite the odds.