![]() The surrogate is entirely motivated by altruism, to help an infertile couple fulfill their wish for a child (Caelers 2001 Leeton et al. In an altruistic arrangement, the surrogate may not be compensated above and beyond expenses related to the pregnancy. Surrogacy remuneration generally comes in two forms: altruistic (unpaid) surrogacy and commercial (paid) surrogacy. Where surrogacy is permitted, a subject of ongoing debate is the question of proper remuneration for surrogates. 1 The surrogacy process is beneficial for parents who are unable to procreate, but it is riddled with ethical challenges. Surrogacy occurs when a woman gestates and gives birth to a child for the intended parents. Commercial surrogacy should be permitted across the globe, which would also reduce the need for intended parents to seek surrogacy services abroad. ![]() An international treaty governing commercial surrogacy should be in place, and local professional bodies to protect the interests of surrogates should be required. Payments for surrogacy need to be high enough to avoid exploitation by underpayment, which can be established by the mechanisms of either minimum wage (in high income countries such as the Netherlands), or Fair-Trade guidelines (in lower-middle income countries such as India). In both contexts, surrogacy can be seen as a legitimate form of work, which requires the same wage and safety standards as other forms of labor. In this article, the Netherlands and India (where commercial surrogacy was legal until 2015) are case examples of contexts that differ in many respects. Surrogates should be paid a sufficient amount and regulations should be in order. In line with this critique we argue that commercial surrogacy can be justified, but how and under what circumstances depends on the context. Moreover, at least some of these arguments are based on symbolic rhetoric or they lack knowledge of real-world experiences. We argue that, although commodification and exploitation can occur, these problems are not specific to surrogacy but should be understood in the broader context of an unequal world. Various arguments against commercial surrogacy are explored, such as exploitation and commodification of surrogates, reproductive capacities, and the child. A normative ethical analysis of commercial surrogacy is conducted. ![]() In this article, we explore what would be ethical remuneration for surrogacy, and suggest regulations for how to ensure this in the international context. In the presence of cross-border surrogacy, these ethical drawbacks are exacerbated. It is unclear what proper remuneration for surrogacy is, since countries disagree and both commercial and altruistic surrogacy have ethical drawbacks.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |