Should commercial surrogacy be banned? - BBC News

Until a few years ago, India was known globally as a hub for commercial surrogacy. Childless couples and individuals from India and abroad were ready to pay good money to have a child, and poor women were available to rent their wombs. Thousands of infertility clinics sprung up all over India to facilitate the multi-million-dollar industry. But the government has been cracking down on this practice. In 2015, foreigners were banned from seeking commercial surrogacy in India, and now a bill is in the parliament aiming to ban the practice completely, including for Indian citizens.
Proponents of the ban say that the industry flourishes at the cost of financial and medical exploitation of the surrogates, while opponents who challenge the ban, insist that surrogates are treated fairly, and it is a win-win situation for both surrogates and childless people seeking an alternative. The government is pushing for altruistic surrogacy instead, which prohibits financial compensation and comes under several conditions.
We speak to a doctor with extensive professional experience in commercial surrogacy, a public health expert who supports the ban, and a choreographer who was one of the first single men in India to adopt a child.
Presenter: Devina Gupta
Contributors: Dr Priti Gupta, Fertility Specialist, First Step IVF Clinic; Prof Mohan Rao, Independent Researcher and Public Health Expert; Sandip Soparrkar, Choreographer, Single Parent
From Delhi, #WorklifeIndia reflects on money, work, family and business.
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[@raginimishra1931]

I just don't get it when there are so many abandoned babies why can't we just adopt instead of going through such complicated procedure

[@public.public]

The middle class is deeply ethically sick to be complicit with this.

[@bharatecon]

There is no other alternative, doesn't justify any wrong doing. Shall child labour be allowed if there is no other alternative... And the worst part is without regulations, few people make huge business out of it.

[@rubiakhan8708]

I love all your videos...keep up the fantastic work..and share wat is motivating u to produce such great pieces of intellectual work✌ Off to enjoy myself dont work too hard on these great vids..🙂

[@theenglishgirl4371]

25 mins of conversation had passes but i didnt get any ideas lol

[@rickylovesyou]

Totally thought the dude on the right was doing star trek India cosplay in the thumbnail.

[@baudouinderjani3474]

btaaemele argumentative essay ?

[@autumnlikemusic]

Purpose is important. It is nees to some family. But it should not be commerciap purpose.

[@bailujen8052]

It is better to adopt your sister's baby if she does not want the baby she is carrying

[@malayaanderson8222]

In the off chance someone has a sister, who is also pregnant, who happens to not want the baby…and will let them adopt it.

[@amrendrakumarsingh5481]

Best debate mam❤️

[@ijnmpi]

Good discussion!

[@emmarobinson9914]

Well, I always respect the other opinion even if it opposite to mine, so I would like to express mine here. Surrogacy is discussed everywhere: social nets, blogs, forums, podcasts, mass media and even in close circles of friends and relatives. It should be admitted that this topic is very important now as there are more people will prefer to talk positively about the adoption of children than to explicitly speak the same way about surrogacy. I am not going to lead the topic of discussion in another direction, so I just express my point of view about surrogacy. Let's imagine we are talking about someone's personal case - either you or your close relatives, friends. Having gone through the whole process of infertility treatment, including miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies, surgeries and various complications, you or your close people don't give up, move further towards the desirable moment - to hear the voice of the own child. I agree that articles which provoke people's negative reaction should exist, but I know for sure that your opinion may rapidly change in case it touches you personally.

[@justynawisniewska1213]

I agree, but it should be regulated so that surrogates are not exploited and instead they are compensated fairly and receive good medical care.

[@AlMamun-ht6lv]

Yep..!

[@amitdwivedi9839]

As it was said " there are no other options for surrogate mother" .. can't they choose cooking which they can use as a source to serve college students, working professionals , etc.?

[@Kwippy]

Great solution, let's give all these poor women jobs as cooks. How about you employ a few? No?

[@rg4252]

Change the Anchor please 😂😂

[@paulgibbons2320]

It would just go underground.

[@sahinyasar9119]

Easy answer, yes

[@cherryblossom9422]

Silly answer. Radfems' and clericals' lie and demagogy.

[@sahinyasar9119]

@@cherryblossom9422 First im not a pro-religion person and second commercial surrogacy making good money and this money attract bad peoples because commercial scale surrogacy turn everyone to fickle I mean you dont need commercial surrogacy anyway

[@cherryblossom9422]

@@sahinyasar9119 Paid surrogacy is just compensation for a person acting like a surrogate. The answer is selection of persons who would-be surrogates. Very easy! Today surrogacy is the only way for many people to have children.

[@sahinyasar9119]

​@@cherryblossom9422 Well If you ask me I will wait for new tech of artificial womb because this tech is close to complete more than we think and with this way you dont have to be worried about genetic and past disease of the surrogate

[@sahinyasar9119]

@@VeryIntellijent first im a man. second if i become infertile, i would go sign as volontier to go war and defend a country such as ukraine. You may call me toxic but i belive purpose of is creating more better generation and future than we have. Either theyre made through crispr or artificial womb. You know the old song says " life is life"

[@auro1986]

bbc shouldn't you stop commercials in your videos online and on tv

[@001HK0]

No.

[@PUNEET.SHARMA2394]

Brilliant

[@baudouinderjani3474]

hi bro

[@sepdafodils]

The professor needs to stop assuming so much!! 😅😅

[@da_revo5747]

Easy answer, no

[@roverjames8923]

Hi bbc

[@saxglend9439]

Hang Jeremy Corbyn

[@Commandotoad]

Please adopt, folks! India has sooo many orphans. How about adopt a child instead???

[@rasiinchanel1289]

Hallo BBC news 🤚🤚🤚

[@GuitarZombie]

lol

[@GuitarZombie]

Can't tell a woman what to do with her body.....................

[@syamasundarsivajeebalaga3344]

Dr preeti is waste for debates. Kindly don't call her ahead.

[@lxy315lxy]

Yes

[@UsmanAli-tn4zn]

please help kashmirees

[@abhayadl5]

🖕

[@VegeterianKetoRocks]

It may lead to women exploitation due to putting emotional pressure by husbands in poor families.

[@jeyshs5131]

There are government schools umpteen children get educated there. Every month there is a poor farmer, a rick driver's child who clear civil services examination in top rank. There are enough schemes to encourage girl children right from fds and stuff. There is national skill development council which trains youngsters. My domestic help makes 15k working 6 hours every day. Those poor women you are talking about are those who want easy money and are lazy to educate themselves or find a decent living. These are women who choose to subject their body through the process for money. Don't bother blaming it on anyone. People make their choices

[@sybolchris2529]

印度的英语和嘉宾整体水平不行啊

[@nene_san]

Wts with weird accent...

[@debashisdeka2066]

Queen Elizabeth ki bhosra.randi BBC.

[@hellomynameishello6500]

I don't know I getting irritation . Her pronouncing make sick 🥵🥵

[@theenglishgirl4371]

Personally, I don't agree that surrogacy should be banned. This is because who cares if it might be unethical to others, what matters most is I am able to feed myself thrice a day. haha

[@deeramires1485]

I think surrogacy should be legal in all countries and prices should be affordable. It’s not our fault we are infertile! And I do not want to adopt. If you are so generous and kind people, then go and adopt. But don’t teach us how to become parents. And don’t judge us because you know nothing about infertility! I had surrogacy in Europe, because prices are huge here in my country. Their prices are affordable comparing to US or Greece. I have no regrets! Their doctors are the best. They have great services for foreigners. They found sm for us pretty fast. And that wonderful woman carried our son for us! I’m so grateful.

[@justynawisniewska1213]

Why should it be affordable? The surrogate risks her health and puts her life on halt for you to have a baby. Don't you think that should be adequately compensated? Plus costs of medical care, supplements, healthy diet. It all adds up and the prices are not high so that infertile people have less options. Outsourcing it to empoverished regions like Ukraine or India that don't have regulations in place to protect the interests of the sm and where those women are pushed to do it because their families are living below poverty line so they don't have many other options is at least a bit questionable and for sure up for debate.

[@radfemmyy7113]

How is it everyone elses problem that you are infertile. You donz have the right to other womens bodies

[@radfemmyy7113]

@@VeryIntellijent you are an idiot. Im not the one trying to exploit her. Surrogacy us human trafficking and its not a free choice if the other one is poverty. Liberal idiots like u would support organ selling

[@manugupta1730]

Brilliant. Dr. Priti thankfully is a helping doctor. The social scientist has no clue of reality the of life. He has never been through the pain of not having a child. Clearly a theorist with no experience of boots on the ground..Wonder who chose him and let him speak his gibberish..

[@MsBrendalina]

The pain of not having a child is no justification to exploit the wombs of impoverished women. Also, lots of poor folks suffer the pain of not having a child as well. But I don't see this doctor offering free surrogacy support for them

[@jam6636]

Have your baby taken away is far worse.

[@SS-cv6xi]

One of the famous signs of "The day of judgement"" described in hadees bukhari, an Islamic theology. ""A slave woman would give birth to her mistress"" Modern day surrogacy is fulfilled this sign.

[@worldwartrump4829]

No. Snowflakes.

[@lorettastevens3224]

We are from the UK. The surrogacy process is very complicated here. That's why we decided to go to Ukraine. We went through surrogacy there. Our Dr. really took her time to explain all the steps along the way. We could always ask her questions. When decisions had to be made she explained the options and gave us her opinion but left us the freedom to make choices. She gave us great advice from all the experience she has. She knew what she was doing! With a great result. We had some bumps along our journey to become parents. But our Dr. and coordinator were always there, supportive, compassionate and positive! They were easily reachable. So all the communication always went well. Now we have our son! It's still hard for me to believe, I'm a mother after many years of infertility struggle!

[@jam6636]

Such a long message and not a single word about the mother that carried the baby.

[@jam6636]

@@VeryIntellijent yesI find it horrible and they don´t pay them enough money to do any of what you mentioned

[@gugulethuncube6421]

So you went and outsourced your surrogate from a country that’s more economically weaker than yours?! Thanks for telling us you participated in the brutalisation of another womon’s body for your own gain. Hope your son turns out better than you

[@KerriForsberg]

I would totally make someone else have my baby for me, there's no way I'm going to ruin my figure and get fat after I have a kid.

[@AlanWattResistance]

Billions of women have already done it, so why not you? Having children is a sacrifice.

[@naveenmuruganandam2247]

I think that may frustrate ur partner Kerri Forsberg... motherhood is awesome, many are not blessed to be a mother...

[@theenglishgirl4371]

youll get old anyway

[@AnonymousC-lm6tc]

Beauty fads…..

[@MsBrendalina]

Would you subject your body to a pregnancy just to give the baby away to a stranger? If not, than don't subject another woman to that burden