HYDERABAD: With more and more people in pop culture opting for and celebrating surrogacy, people have been growing more accepting of the practice. But very few know of all the things that go behind and into the process — right from conception to the paperwork involved — the lack of knowledge about this, leading to the rights of several people being violated, says Dr Sheela Suryanarayana, who spoke about her book A Transnational Feminist View of Surrogacy Biomarkets in India at Goethe-Zentrum Hyderabad.
Surrogacy has been a curious case among many, with little to no understanding of the rules and pain that surrogates put themselves through once they agree to be a couple’s surrogate. Surrogacy is permitted in India only for altruistic purposes or for couples who suffer proven infertility or disease, while commercial surrogacy, which includes sale, prostitution or any other forms of exploitation, is banned in the country.Speaking about her research on commercial surrogacy, Dr Sheela says, “I have worked on this topic since 2009 and have spoken about it at the United Nations and Rajya Sabha and have now compiled my work into a book.
The book is about transnational surrogacy biomarket and how it functions in the global scenario. It talks about how the entire surrogacy biomarket reflects on the overall micro-level global inequality. It is largely the richer people making surrogate mothers of those from poorer countries as well as within their country. When commercial surrogacy was banned in India, Mexico and Nepal, the practice moved to other low-income countries like South Africa and other nations in South America and South East Asia.
There is a clear global pattern of how these surrogate markets are moving, looking for countries where poorer women are willing to do it for a lower price and lesser rights on their bodies and children. The vulnerability of surrogate mothers because they belong to the poorer section, less educated women, lesser employment opportunities and lesser nutrition makes them more liable to maternal morbidity and mortality. The profits share goes to the medical professionals instead of the surrogate mothers.”
She adds that when commercial surrogacy was allowed in India, women were put in surrogate hostels where they had to remain for a complete year. “Some breastfeeding mothers came in too, so they were given injections to dry the milk up or alter the hormones that could allow them to carry a baby,” she laments.
Talking about her book, Dr Sheela shares that her study dates back to 2009 when she intensely followed 11 surrogate mothers throughout the process. “The book is a case study of these mothers and five intended parents I met. The concept I focus on is the reproductive right of individuals being violated. I have known surrogate mothers who had their uterus removed because by they ended up bearing the brunt of big consequences like brain haemorrhage!”
She says that more and more women who belong to economically weaker communities, need to be aware of their rights: “The media, especially ones in vernacular languages can change this. They can spread awareness about the dangers and risks associated with surrogacy, while also speaking about their rights.”