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Surrogacy

In: Social Issues

Submitted By ghostgirl
Words 3137
Pages 13
I. INTRODUCTION
The breakthrough discoveries in the field of assisted reproduction have brought new lights in the society. However, some of these discoveries evoked controversial issues. One of the controversial issues that received tremendous feedback is surrogate motherhood. As many couples fail to bear any child due to infertility, various alternatives appears to realize their dream of parenthood. One of the popular alternatives is surrogate motherhood. To begin with, the word “surrogate” means substitute. Surrogate motherhood is a term referred to an arrangement in which a woman becomes pregnant for the sole purpose of having a child that another couple will raise.
This discovery causes to wake up each and everyone's mind. It also gave birth to the undying rivalry between pros and cons. Surrogacy is entitled with issues and controversies. It also left questions to our mind. Who really suffered and benefited with this? Other debates include moral and ethical questions. Does surrogacy go against natural selection, and is the burden it will cause to the children, the parents, and the surrogate mother, worth it? Some people believe that if an individual does not have the ability of reproduction, it should be selected, and technology should not be used to alter God’s plan.
Surrogacy provides some couples with their only hope of raising a child genetically related to at least one of them. They believe that everyone should be given the chance to have a family, and if the surrogate mothers are willing to do it, they do not see a problem with it.

II.BODY
History of surrogacy can be traced back in the time of Holy Bible and Roman history, where the culture regarded positively about carrying a baby for an infertile couple. The bible book of Genesis, a story of surrogacy was recorded in chapter 16. About the story of Sarah and Abraham, a nomadic Hebrew couple unable to conceive. Sarah offered her Egyptian slave Hagar as a surrogate, but later drove her away from the camp when Hagar became impudent during pregnancy. Hagar fled to Egypt, where an angel told her that her son Ishmael would become a leader amongst the Hebrews; she subsequently returned to Sarah and Abraham. According to some, Abraham and Hagar settled the jealousy between the two women by moving with Ishmael to the land of Paran.
As for commercial surrogacy, it only came about in the late 1970’s in America and was founded by a lawyer, Noel Keane, who established the first surrogacy agency.
There are many controversies surrounding the idea of surrogate motherhood, by its definition, it is a course of action that goes outside natural reproduction. Although surrogacy was first brought up in the bible it is only until recently that it has actually become an issue for criticism and debate. Factors such as the growth of infertility in modern society, coupled with the declining number of children available for adoption, and the development of surrogacy contract and commercial surrogacy agencies in 1976, have resulted in increasing publicity and public interest in the formation of agreements between infertile couples and surrogate mothers.
Types of Surrogacy * Traditional surrogacy (TS) This involves artificially inseminating a surrogate mother with the intended father's sperm via IUI, IVF or home insemination. With this method, the child is genetically related to its father and the surrogate mother. * Traditional surrogacy & donor sperm (TS/DS) A surrogate mother is artificially inseminated with donor sperm via IUI, IVF or home insemination. The child born is genetically related to the sperm donor and the surrogate mother. * Gestational surrogacy (GS) When the intended mother is not able to carry a baby to term due to hysterectomy, diabetes, cancer, etc., her egg and the intended father's sperm are used to create an embryo (via IVF) that is transferred into and carried by the surrogate mother. The resulting child is genetically related to its parents while the surrogate mother has no genetic relation * Gestational surrogacy & egg donation (GS/ED) If there is no intended mother or the intended mother is unable to produce eggs, the surrogate mother carries the embryo developed from a donor egg that has been fertilized by sperm from the intended father. With this method, the child born is genetically related to the intended father and the surrogate mother has no genetic relation. * Gestational surrogacy & donor sperm (GS/DS) If there is no intended father or the intended father is unable to produce sperm, the surrogate mother carries an embryo developed from the intended mother's egg (who is unable to carry a pregnancy herself) and donor sperm. With this method, the child born is genetically related to the intended mother and the surrogate mother has no genetic relation. * Gestational surrogacy & donor embryo (GS/DE) When the intended parents are unable to produce either sperm, egg, or embryo, the surrogate mother can carry a donated embryo (often from other couples who have completed IVF that have leftover embryos). The child born is genetically related neither to the intended parents nor the surrogate mother. 2 Types of Surrogacy Arrangements: * Altruistic surrogacy: In this type of surrogacy, the surrogate mother is not paid for her 'service'. She 'offers her womb' as an act of 'altruism'. Often there will be a pre-established bond between the surrogate mother and the expecting couple. Typically the surrogate mother is a friend or a relative. * Commercial surrogacy: In commercial surrogacy the surrogate mother receives compensation for carrying the child. Often there will be a mediating party, a surrogacy agency that deals with all the practical arrangements for the commissioning couple: finding a suitable surrogate mother and dealing with all the paperwork etc.
Surrogacy has been a hot issue in the other side of the world and undergoes several debates. Some countries passed a resolution that allows their people to use this kind of procedure. In contrary, there are also some countries that are against because of their cu lture and government that they have.
According to the research, the reasons behind of those who are against and not are the following arguments:
The 'Con' Voice Against Surrogacy * Surrogacy is Like Prostitution
A typical objection to surrogacy (particularly that of commercial surrogacy) is to compare the physical aspects of surrogacy to a form of prostitution:
In both cases one can view the women as selling physical, intimate, bodily services. Selling their bodies and their function for money! * Surrogacy is a Form of Alienated Labor
This objection borrows its logic from Hegel's philosophy of alienated labor. Many people work and are not emotionally attached to the 'product' of their work or the work process for that matter. Well, the difference with surrogacy (or prostitution for that matter) is that we're talking about physical reproductive labor. Reproduction is something that many people believe belong in the private sphere and should be surrounded with respect and emotional attachment.
According to people against surrogacy, women's reproductive capacities should not be used as physical labor and the status of a child should not be relegated to that of a commodity. * Surrogacy Turn Babies into Commodities
During a pregnancy a woman is supposed to bond with her unborn baby. Con speakers claim that surrogacy prevents the mother from forming a natural bond to her baby and therefore forces her to emotionally detach herself from her pregnancy. Normally the child is the end goal in a pregnancy. For the surrogate mother the child becomes the means (as distinct from the goal), for something else, namely money. When the child becomes a means, the child is commoditized, speakers against surrogacy claim. * There Are so Many Children in Need of a Home - Adoption Is Better for the World
Everybody knows that the world is 'overpopulated' and that there are many orphans whose parents have died from decease or because of war. There are also many children who are living in children's homes because their parents couldn't afford to keep them. The argument here is that people have a moral duty to care for the already existing children in need of a loving caring family rather than proceed to make new babies into an already too crowded world.

* Surrogacy is for the Wealthy Only
Needless to say that surrogacy can be a very expensive affair and it is therefore not an option for those of few financial means. However, contrary to myth, many commissioning couples are not rich in the traditional sense but middle class / upper middle class. The surrogate mothers are typically, but not always, in the lower income range and therefore a typical argument is, "The rich are exploiting the poor!" * Exploiting Third World Women as Baby Machines
Contrary to many Westerns countries, commercial surrogacy is legal in India and many Indian women have chosen to become surrogate mothers for Western couples. The typical reason for couples choosing Indian surrogate mothers over Western surrogate mothers is that they are cheaper. This was a relatively long list of arguments against surrogacy. Let's now turn our attention to the pro arguments in the discussion of the ethics of surrogacy.
The 'Pro' Voice for Surrogacy * Fulfilling the Deep Seated Wish for a Family
Some women have difficulties getting pregnant. For couples who dream of having their own children, infertility is frustrating and stressful. Having children and fulfilling the wish for a family with the help of a surrogate mother is therefore a possibility of living out that dream. * Adoption Is not That Easy
Contrary to sensible logic (there are many children in need of a home - so adoption should be easy), being allowed to adopt a child is difficult and takes a long time. The whole paperwork process along with psychological evaluations and waiting list etc. may take many years. * Surrogate Mothers Are Conscious of Their Choice
Under normal circumstances surrogate mothers are very conscious of their decision to carry someone else's child. They are well informed and well paid. Most of these women have a positive experience and feel satisfied in what they perceive as an altruistic gesture (even though they are getting paid).

Surrogacy in Philippines: (Technology is moving so fast ahead of ethics and the law.) In the Philippines, surrogacy has sometimes been practiced but always informally and never by an organized and registered business like Asian Surrogates. In fact The Family Code, signed into law on July 6, 1987 by the revolutionary government of President Corazon Aquino, acknowledged this informal practice but placed it firmly within the marital context. It was primarily intended to give the resulting offspring legitimacy when claiming inheritance. Article 164 states that “children conceived as a result of artificial insemination of the wife with the sperm of the husband or that of a donor or both are likewise legitimate children of the husband and his wife,” provided both spouses agreed in writing before the child's birth and submitted this agreement to the civil registry, along with the birth certificate.
The Family Code never contemplated that a married couple might opt to hire another woman to grow an embryo from their egg and sperm, like what Sex and the City actress Sarah Jessica Parker and her husband Matthew Broderick are now doing. Philippine law is silent on commercial surrogacy and egg harvesting, perhaps because it did not anticipate this, said lawyer Sally Escutin, legal services chief of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
A section of the Anti-Child Abuse Law (Republic Act 7610) would appear to classify commercial surrogacy as “an attempt to commit child trafficking.” Article IV Section 8 states that trafficking is committed “when a person, agency, establishment or child-caring institution recruits women or couples to bear children for the purpose of child trafficking.”
RA 7610 defines a child trafficker for the first time in statute books as “any person who shall engage in trading and dealing with children including, but not limited to, the act of buying and selling of a child for money.” It becomes a capital crime when the victim is below 12 years old.
According to Atty. Escutin pointed out to Newsbreak that the law does not extend its mantle of protection to the human egg and sperm. She stated that, when you are still egg and sperm you are not a person yet. You have to be born for you to be a person under the Civil Code.
Amihan Abueva, national coordinator of Asia Acts, an advocacy group against child trafficking, said she was unaware that the surrogacy business had arrived in the country. “It's more prevalent in India. Here, it's easier to have simulated births” or the registration of a birth naming fake parents to facilitate illegal adoptions.
A local fertility doctor said that medically, artificial insemination or the method used in traditional surrogacy is easy to do but Filipino specialists don't do this outside of marriage. Insemination is also cheap in Manila, with prices ranging from P5,000 to P10,000.
The Philippine Society of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility has taken a strong position against commercial surrogacy, said its president, Dr. Eileen Malapaya Manalo. In 2005, they came up with their own ethical guidelines. One of the principles is, there should be no third party surrogacy and no cloning. Basically, they are still influenced by the Catholic upbringing. Most members are Catholic. But she conceded that not all fertility specialists, including some who claim to be one, are society members.

Perfume King : A Father of Surrogate Twins Entrepreneur and local fragrance master Joel Cruz (president & CEO of brands Aficionado Germany Perfumes) has revealed that his children, twins, were borne through in vitro fertilization. The businessman considers Prince Sean and Princess Synne, his twins, as his currently most prized possessions.
Cruz, an openly gay man, has long wanted to have his own family. But he has always ruled out marrying a woman. He also did not count on legal adoption as he prefers to have a child who is genetically his. He recalled that several years ago, he has consulted a Singapore-based fertility doctor for possible in vitro fertilization.
He then flew to that country a number of times to undergo IVF cycles. To his dismay, the initial tests showed that he has lower sperm count, which could make it impossible to pursue the process. But he still underwent numerous related procedures. All efforts failed, though.

Not losing hope:
Cruz said he did not lose hope. About two years ago, a Filipino doctor within the same Singaporean fertility clinic he was visiting gave him an advice. The doctor told him that he had three willing Filipino surrogates who are willing to carry IVF embryos in their uterus. But still, all three attempts failed.
As he neared depression, he checked online sites about the subject. This was how he discovered a law firm/agency that specializes in brokering arrangements between prospective parents and surrogate moms. He found out that such a medical procedure is liberally allowed in Russia.
Moscow-based Rosjur Consulting, in 2011, sent him several profiles of willing surrogate mothers. From those, he picked Lilia, a six-foot Ukrainian woman who he describes as resembling Hollywood actress Julia Roberts. She has already tried surrogacy in the past. And so the process went on.

Delivery of the babies:
In September 4, 2012, Lilia delivered Cruz’s twins in Russia. Cruz first saw the twins through pictures, which were sent to him two days after their birth. He recalled how he was glad to see the babies having Filipino features although they had alabaster skin and light brown hair.
The businessman had enough time to practice how to carry babies before he flew to Moscow to get his twins. Cruz was thankful that he could now use the lessons he learned when he took psychology and anatomy courses as a pre-med student at the University of Santo Tomas many years ago.

Protective dad:
Cruz disclosed that Lilia delivered his babies in one of the most expensive and best hospitals in the Russian capital. But he said she was transferred to a more reasonable facility after delivery. That was where the twins were taken care of before he came to pick them up. Overall, Cruz spent more than P7 million to cover the entire surrogacy process.
Now, Cruz admits that he is a protective father to his twins. The children are being taken care of by professional nannies in a nursery that is equipped with CCTV cameras all over. This is to make sure the nannies would not remiss in their duties. While he is at the office, he monitors the babies through his laptop.

II. CONCLUSION

Why is it that every time someone mentions the topic of surrogacy, giant waves of powerful emotions come washing in from both pro and con surrogacy camps?
One of the reasons is that surrogacy is balancing on a very sharp ethical edge when mixing the perceived 'sacred' process of reproduction and having children with work and money. Many people believe that these two domains should not mix.
For people to know, the researchers are neither pro nor con surrogacy. They are just interested in exploring the philosophical and emotional dimensions of the ethics of surrogacy.
It is very important for some to retain the ability to bring their own biological children into the world despite the difficulties. If this is you, the case of pros and cons of surrogacy is undeniable in favor of surrogacy. And with the proper guidance and medical team, electing for surrogacy can be the single most important decision you will ever make and by far the most rewarding. While adoption is cheaper, you just have too many unknowns. You "get what you pay for". Sometimes it's the long term cost of an adopted child that can affect you for the rest of your life. Your biologic bloodline and family name is not carried forward into the future. You have no control over the origin of your precious child.
Can anything equal the joy of a new baby when it comes to easing the heartbreak of infertility the benefits of surrogacy allow you to experience the miracle of having a child of your own? Medical advances have continued for surrogacy technology and today they present a very real and promising alternative. Your job now is finding a surrogate mother. Surrogacy statistics continue to bring hope in the pros and cons of surrogacy debate. "And the winner is" - happiness and joy in their new baby to many. III. REFERENCES http://www.positive-parenting-ally.com/ethics-of-surrogacy.html http://www.surrogacy-surrogate-mother.com/surrogacy-or-adoption.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrogacy http://www.surrogacy911.com/surrogacy/pros-cons.htm http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/100265/how-joel-cruz-planned-his-fatherhood#ixzz2eKHNNpOk http://www.pinoystop.com/news/celebrity/531/joel-cruz-talks-about-surrogacy-to-have-his-twins

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...genetic mother. (Would you rather be a 'birth' or a 'genetic' mother? if so, how much?, 1994). The bonds a woman establishes with her child while pregnant is one that can never be replaced. If the majority of women would rather bear a child themselves for this particular reason; why is commercial surrogate motherhood on the rise? Some women are beginning to consider commercial surrogate motherhood as a better alternative than adoption. To enforce a contract on something that is so personal to women like labor and childbirth is not only ethically wrong but morally wrong as well. What is surrogacy? Surrogacy is when one woman bears a child for another that for some reason cannot do on their own. There are several types of surrogacy; Altruistic, commercial, genetic and gestatory. Altruistic surrogacy is when the person bearing the child is doing it for a family member or friend. Commercial surrogacy is when the potential parents seek an individual to bear their child and usually involves payment to the surrogate. Both altruistic and commercial surrogate mothers can be genetic or gestatory. Genetic surrogate mothers are genetically tied to fetus they carry (their egg with the potential father’s sperm if...

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Military Surrogate Mothers

...Originally, I was completely against surrogacy. Much like the conservative Christians, I had viewed the practice as an ungodly way of manipulating the gift of life. The thought of someone allowing another woman to bare her child for her was just unfathomable to me; I feared that the precious bond between a mother and child would be lost. My perspective on surrogacy began to change as I got older. All I could think about was how devastated I would be, how terrified I am, to have a doctor tell me that I would never hear the words, “Congratulations, you’re pregnant!” If I couldn’t have them myself, I would want to explore the possibility of finding a surrogate to carry my children for me. I realized that surrogate births wouldn't change that parent to child bond at all. The only way that a parent to child bond could be changed is if people make the way that 3the child was born seem illegitimate, when really, it’s a miracle made at the hands of...

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Baby And Womb To Carry It By Tamar Lewin

...Lesson Eight Paper Assignment – Family The most interesting article I read from this section was “Coming to the U.S. for Baby, and Womb to Carry it” by Tamar Lewin. I really loved this article, because there are so many things to talk about with surrogacy, good and bad. There is also a lot to talk about pertaining to the cost, health, and legal aspects that have to do with it all. Before reading this article I was totally supportive of surrogate pregnancies, and I still am, but they raised a lot of good points against it as well. The biggest part of the article for me is giving anyone who is straight, gay, infertile, or in between the right to have a child. I fully support all of it, I think everyone should have the opportunity to start a...

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