Surrogate Pregnancies

Have you heard about surrogate pregnancies or surrogate mothers? Maybe you have heard about old women who helped their daughters have babies and they agree to carry a baby for their daughters. Yes, in the recent past there is an increasing trend of families and couples who avail of surrogate parenthood, thus the increase in surrogate pregnancies. Usually surrogate pregnancies are related to infertility problems. In some cases also, there are issues involved in surrogate pregnancies like its commercial use to some women..

Some people take the opportunity to have children once they cant have the capability to have one through surrogate pregnancies. Technological developments aid families and couple to extend their families through the technique of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) or at other times a woman may have biological children and after giving birth she will give the baby to the "other parents". In this hub, I will try to look at what are the different issues and circumstances plus example of surrogate pregnancies. In short I will discuss about the options of surrogacy and surrogate pregnancies.

The term surrogacy is a way whereby a woman agree to become pregnant and deliver a baby because she was contracted to do so. It maybe the case that she is the biological mother or though In vitro fertilization -- implantation of embryo.

Kinds of Surrogate Pregnancies

• majority of the cases of surrogate pregnancies are ones in which the woman agree to carry her own biological child and then give the "other parent" the baby after it was born
• The other case is that there is an implantation embryo in the woman's womb, the fertilized egg is donated or in some cases it is the other parent or the one who is contracting the surrogate is the one who donate the egg and sperm.

Who are availing of this surrogate pregnancies?

1. Usually a couple who cant have the capability to have a baby, cases of infertility
2. Single woman or man who just want to have a baby
3. Gay couple who cant have babies

1. is it legal in every state or area. In terms of the contract between the two parties, how is it binding etc, terms of contract
2. Amount of money involved or cost of surrogacy
3. How near and far is the surrogate mother to the one who is contracting them
4. Success rate if it is in vitro fertilization
5. Emotional and psychological consequences or readiness of both the contracting and the surrogate parent
6. Other moral and religious issues

Forms of Surrogacy

• Commercial purposes- paying the woman to become a surrogate mother
• Non commercial purposes or out of love-- these are usually loved ones who volunteer to help the one who cant give birth on their own, usually relatives, mother of the woman etc.

ISSUES :

1. In surrogate pregnancies, I think that both the surrogate mother and other party should be emotionally and psychologically ready to have the procedure and responsibility of making it sure that they can face the outcome of the procedure. I mean it is difficult if for example the contracted woman changed her mind after seeing the baby or the other party changed their mind.
2. The commercial use of surrogacy is tie to the issue of body, women's rights and legality of surrogacy to some places
3. One area is that sometimes a daughter will choose her mother to carry a baby for her, the long time consequences of carrying a baby due to an old woman is another case in point.
4. Another one is the moral issue involved in surrogate pregnancies, the environment of the child, how they are going to explain to the child growing up etc.