Surrogate Motherhood: Assisted Reproduction

Surrogacy is usually the last option for many infertile couples, gay couples and others wanting to become parents (Nakash). Many people prefer the option of surrogacy because it allows them to have a child who is biologically related to them. Others choose it because of factors such as age or the unlikelihood of being able to adopt. The practice of surrogacy is one of the largest controversial procedures in the field of assisted reproduction (Jadva). Surrogacy has been attacked in many different ways, but a majority of arguments against surrogacy have to do with harm to the surrogate or the children, and the exploitation of women who are poor and vulnerable in some way. Surrogate motherhood has been labeled by its opponents as reproductive
prostitution, reproductive slavery, the renting of a womb, and the factory method of childbearing (Andrews). Women who are surrogates are labelled as paid breeders, biological entrepreneurs, breeder women, reproductive meat, human incubators, incubators for men’s sperm, a commodity in the reproductive marketplace, and prostitutes (Andrews).
Their husbands are seen as pimps and the children conceived have been called property or merchandise (Andrews). Wilkinson argues, "Because the 'harm and risk' objections to surrogacy depend largely on various empirical issues, those based on exploitation are the most philosophically interesting (171)." Exploitation is the unfair use of labour to get something done (Dictionary of Human Resources and Personnel Management). Wilkinsons main points of his exploitation argument are underpayment, psychological problems, and consent. Wilkinson begins by stating that the surrogate goes through a very long period of pain and possible issues throughout the pregnancy, and that because of this he believes the surrogate is highly underpaid for the circumstances. Most surrogates get paid approximately $25,000 to carry a baby to full term, nine months or two-hundred and eighty days, which would be approximately four dollars an hour. Wilkinson then begins to connect his first argument; the problem with underpayment due to physical pain and possible issues, to his next argument; psychological
problems. "Most surrogate mothers experience grief upon giving up their children- in 10% of cases seriously enough to require therapy (Wilkinson)." Studies have shown that throughout the nine months of carrying a child the woman develops a strong relationship between her and the unborn child (Wilkinson). In most cases, after the baby is delivered the surrogate and the child do not come in contact again, the baby is immediately released to its parents (Wilkinson).