India Baby Boom: Surrogate Birth Every 48 Hours

In the U.S., the reported amount of money gestational carriers (aka: surrogate mothers) receive for nine months of developing some other couple’s genetic material into a full-blown baby isn’t exactly life-changing. It’s never enough to buy a house, pay for a college degree, or even elevate one’s standard of living.

But in India, surrogate mothers make enough to actually change their lives, according to one doctor who attends many, many surrogate births. A payment of $US13,000 and often more is an incredible amount.

So while we considered what affect Sarah Jessica Parker would have on the rate and popularity of surrogate pregnancies in the U.S., Dr. Anita Soni, obstetrician in India at one of Mumbai’s top hospitals, was attending a gestational carrier’s birth every 48 hours.

Demand from childless Westerners, especially in the U.K. and Australia where commercial surrogacy is illegal, has created a surrogacy baby boom in India.

Soni said she attends the births of around 15 surrogates every month. She has no problem with arrangement, which she describes as life-changing for both sides.

From the London Evening Standard:

“For these surrogate mothers that amount of money is life-changing. It helps them set up a home, get their daughters married or something like that. There is absolutely no exploitation of these women. It is really big money. It is a jackpot.

“They go through a little bit of emotional trauma, but then they go back home and they realise they have done it for a good cause. I help more white couples than Indians, who are still sceptical about things. English couples come here much more in numbers.”

I don’t know, a dowry seems like a waste of this money and of course the doctor sees surrogacy as a boon: she’s benefiting from an increase in the births, too. Soni works at one of the few hospitals where surrogate mothers are sent to give birth. Also, I wonder about abuse. I wonder if we’ll start hearing about daughters being sent to get pregnant to bring in extra money for the family (in India or other countries).

Another doctor who’s getting a piece of the pie says business won’t dry up anytime soon.Dr Gauri Gupta of the Rotunda Clinic, who implants embryos in Indian surrogates before they go into the care of Dr Soni, said: “Surrogacy is spreading at a very fast pace here and there have been very few complaints. It is a very helpful way for people who could not have children before to become parents and we are seeing more and more couples from the UK every day. Our email inquiry box is full of messages from people from all over the West.”

What do you think? Win-win situation? Or is the American low-pay, high-benevolence factor the better model? Surrogate pregnancies aren’t likely to stop anytime soon — especially since it’s been globalised.

Photo: London Evening Standard