Commercial surrogacy is a legal industry in India. The increase in number of people opting for surrogacy, combined with the availability of medical infrastructure and more women readily willing to be surrogates has given birth to more than 3000 fertility clinics across India, with a business estimated at more than $400 million a year.
As a part of HBO documentary series Vice, journalist Gianna Toboni traveled to India to explore the rapidly growing surrogacy industry. What she was unprepared for, were the heartbreaking experiences she would face as she delved into the embryo outsourcing industry.
Gianna went undercover, quickly learning that this lucrative business meant that doctors implanted multiple embryos in surrogates in order to maximize profits and ensure pregnancy. But this also meant that the surrogates either gave birth to multiple babies or had to abort one of the fetuses.
When she met one surrogacy agent for dinner, she was told that she could get a Caucasian baby in two-three months.
There were “extra” babies being sold on the black market. If an “extra” baby is born, it does not necessarily go to it’s genetic parents; In some cases, the baby is never claimed by it’s parents, leaving it orphaned.
The surrogacy agent tried to talk Gianna and her team into buying the baby that they had brought with them to the restaurant. Gianna revealed that the agent spoke with a shocking amount of ease and also talked about forging documents as if she has done it a hundred times.
“When I go on these stories, I am a human being first and a journalist second.” She admitted that she never once considered buying the baby, but there was a moment when she thought about accepting the offer, knowing that she could provide for the baby, and since it was clear that the agent would have sold the baby to anybody.
Surrogacy in the US can cost upwards of $100,000, while it costs nearly one-sixth the amount in India. “That seems to be the main driver,” Gianna explained why prospective parents prefer to have surrogate mothers from India.
Though Westerners find this as an inexpensive option, this money means that the surrogate mother can feed and provide for her entire family. Gianna pointed out that there are in fact couples who take great efforts to make sure their surrogates are a part of their lives. But at the same time, there are innumerous tales of women in desperate need of money, who are duped because they can’t read the contracts.
Surrogates undergo scheduled cesarean sections so doctors can ensure the greatest number of births per day. Gianna was left speechless when she saw the high turnover rate firsthand at Dr Nayna Patel’s Akanksha Infertility Clinic in the Indian state of Gujarat.
During the episode, one surrogate revealed: “Nobody likes doing this. I didn’t have a home, so I thought I could build one by being a surrogate.”
Gianna was overcome when she learnt that the surrogates she interacted with were doing this because they had no other option; this was the only way they could earn money.
One surrogate’s husband confessed how grateful he was that his wife took this up after he lost his job. He also added that he did not force her to do this, but it was necessary for their family’s survival.
“It all went back to money,” Gianna explained. Though some parents may be aware of the “shadier side” of commercialized surrogacy, a “vast majority” had no idea that this dark underbelly exists.
She recommends that people who wish to pursue the option of having a baby via surrogacy should do an extensive research on the surrogate they would be working with, as well as the agent and the doctor.
News Source: Daily mail