Dear Editor,
In regards to "Protecting the Rights of Surrogate Mothers in India":As a University of California Berkeley student studying Public Health, I understand the implications of this international issue as I witnessed them first hand when I was abroad in India. American surrogate tourism is a human outsourcing project that calls for policy implementation. The ART law that protects couples must extend protection to surrogate mothers. This protection must go beyond the money and legal aspect to ensure the safety of women through maternal health. Education, access, and choice are the key factors for rights under this policy coverage. With an American health policy in action, a systemic change will occur abroad. The standards of Indian women’s health will be in influence. The idea of women as a commodity will be challenged and supported by the consumers buying into it. And as long as surrogate mothers are on the market, they will have to abide with the standards of women’s health
Jennifer Uphoff
2738 Parker St, Berkeley CA
650-380-3139
Although I agree that a stringent policy should be enforced to ensure that surrogate mothers are protected from health complications as well as ethical concerns, I think that the notion that these women are being used as "machines"is not completely accurate. Even though these women are uneducated, they understand the hardships they face in poverty. Perhaps, the surrogate mothers will use the money for her children's education or for food for the family which will benefit the community as a whole.I think they are using new technological advances in medicine to their advantage by choosing to utilize it as a means of alleviating their impoverishment.
ReplyDeletePrior to your post, I had no idea about surrogacy as such a lucrative business especially in India. I agree that there must be some sort of policy implementation regarding this issue. However, I am concerned about how much of American policy would affect the women in India. Is the United States the biggest user of surrogate mothers in India? If so, do you think that the Indian market can still thrive without American consumerism? Since you have actually travelled to India, I am curious to know about how the international adoption process works. Are these Americans who want children offered the option of adoption? Nevertheless, I definitely think that our policies can influence women’s health in India. However, I am also thinking that perhaps this issue can be taken to the World Health Organization and bring a call to action for other countries that may be consumers or have their own surrogacy market.
ReplyDeleteThis was a great article--I can't quite conclude my opinion on "fertility tourism". On one hand, I am uncomfortable with commodifying the production of children and reproduction--but why not allow women to profit from their physical labor, if they are empowered to make an informed, non-coerced decision. The concept reminds me of the organ trade, which is potentially more problematic on many of the same dimensions. However, there are real risks to pregnancy. So while who is anyone to tell Manju what to do with her body--there need to be advocates to inform her of the circumstances. An over standardized market can become impersonal, and exploitative. The voice of the surrogate mothers needs to be emphasized in establishing just policy. It is much easier for western readers of the NYT to imagine the concerns of western prospective parents, and much easier for their interests to be promoted by their money. Ask which voice is underrepresented and how do we turn up the volume of that voice?
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