'Reproductive tourism's risks and ethics' by Corey Whelan
Hello, everyone, sorry for the long time between posts, but today is a great one by our own Corey Whelan of the American Fertility Association. She wrote an excellent article in the Examiner on Reproductive Tourism that I think is a must read:
"Increasingly, we find ourselves living in a global society. Through online communication, and social networking initiatives like twitter and ...... read more here.
Ms. Whelan continue as follows: "This story does not represent an isolated incident. Family formation and reproductive law attorney, Theresa Erickson, Esq., has researched programs in places such as India, Thailand, and the Ukraine, where surrogacy is not regulated or supported by law. Erickson has found that on average the financial costs are usually not much different from those found in our country, especially when you figure in the risks that must be undertaken legally, particularly in places where the levels of medical technology, safety, and privacy regulation is lower than our own.
Erickson noted that the intended parents in this case thought they had done everything right. They contacted the appropriate authorities early on in their search. And yet, neither they, nor their babies, were protected by law. Also unprotected in this case was their surrogate, or their anonymous Indian egg donor.
In countries where poverty is widespread, inferior medical care, as well as poor nutrition and substandard sanitary conditions are the consistent norm. Indian women living under these conditions may feel a level of coercion when considering the financial escape hatch that surrogacy can give them. An Indian surrogate can expect to earn somewhere between $3,000- $6,000 as a surrogate. In a country where the per capita income is not quite $500 per year, this is a staggering sum.
Is this exploitation? Or is it rather a great opportunity for the women now being outsourced to play this role? Says Prospective Families Donor Agency founder and long time donor advocate, Amy Demma, J.D. "I have heard colleagues question pre-natal care and other clinical issues. There are risks, and they are serious".
As there are no official records about surrogates kept in India, we do not know how many women give birth to babies in this way, nor do we know how many failed attempts there are. We also do not know the quality of medical care that these women will receive after they give birth, or how they will be cared for if medical complications related to the birth occur.
Everything possible should be done to obtain accurate information about the care your surrogate has and will receive both before,during, and after her pregnancy. "
