Nishat Paiker, Nov 4, 2015
So much of buzz is around surrogacy where different groups raising their voice for and against the commercialization of the technique which gave hope to many childIess couples around the world becoming a whopping over Rs. 2,500 crore market in India. It forces me to think about the most important part of this whole procedure - the surrogate mothers for whom the social groups, human rights bodies and our leaders etc., ‘seem’ to be so concerned about.
Surrogate mothers are ones who rent their womb under pressure of economical backlash they are facing. Many argue what is the harm if they do it willingly and make some (a good amount of 1-3 lakh) money for the economic class she comes from. The ‘amount’ which they cannot earn even in their lifetime!
But I was compelled to think why at all a woman is forced, although it is said she ‘willingly’ forces herself to the process of undergoing pain, labor, and emotional trauma to an extent of sometime endangering her life. All this is for what? To uplift her family, to pay her children’s school fees, help her husband a build a pucca house or a toilet and bathroom for her and family.
We talk about protection, safety and rights of women. But is this also not the duty of the state subjects (government) to ensure a right to decent life where she is not forced to put her body at stake for survival. Does surrogate mothers tales not sound like stories of thousands of women forced to prostitution? It is found even they (prostitutes) do not want to come out of it, as they need to make a living.
Surrogacy in India and the world has become a one big debate today. The law will be out as always. The question still remains, why women in our country are forced to lend their bodies, bear pain, face risk or torture themselves to survive and make a living. Respect, safety and right to life are our basic rights.
When the government plans to ban something exploiting women using their bodies, it should also give the alternative source to survive because the practice is not done out of choice but out of destitute. Here no need to mention the number of policies made for women upliftment but talk about the actual change brought at ground level including the change in the mindset of our society.
Ban commercial surrogacy but are you ready to uplift this vulnerable large section of our society living in slums behind the glittering high rises or in villages where their husbands are unable to earn enough to meet two meals a day and provide good education to their children.
Hospitals exploit, women ready to be exploited for money which they cannot earn in their lifetime will be given to them for just those ‘nine’ months. A win-win deal for many to argue! But at what cost?! Is this ‘willingness to be a surrogate mother’ not ‘forced’ on them –directly and indirectly? We need to think on that.
