As advances in artificial reproductive techniques progress, a myriad of possibilities become available for individuals around the world. As possibilities arise, many nuances arise as well, raising several ethical and moral concerns regarding such practices, gestational surrogacy being an eminent one. Recent statistics reveal that one in ten first world couples have difficulty conceiving naturally, and are now actively resorting to other methods of conception. The practice of surrogacy services an integral role for couples wanting genetically related offspring, as well as for women who are actively delaying the process of children rearing in the face of demanding professions and industries. Surrogacy continues to stand as an important option for individuals around the world who hope to start a family and have genetically related offspring of their own.
However, as the practice of surrogacy becomes commercial as well as global and it has crossed borders into many developing countries, where the ethical and moral complexities are too pressing to ignore. With international laws and regulations lacking in this area, perhaps the cry for a more unified legal framework concerning the area of commercial surrogacy is the loudest.
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Surrogacy is the gestation of a baby by one woman for another. Although this process may seem simple, its evolution in today’s society and growing ethical implications are nothing short of complex. A gestational surrogate would then become the individual in which the embryo, usually created using the egg and the sperm of the contracting parents, is implanted. This process can most usually be described as altruistic surrogacy or commercial surrogacy. Altruistic surrogacy is usually carried as an act of kindness, in the name of friendship, kinship, or other ties. On the contrary, commercial surrogacy is a reimbursed process in which the gestational mother is paid for her services and although she may still carry out the process for many of the reasons that altruistic surrogacy occurs, the payment is assumed to be an incentive behind her actions. Studies carried by Perkins et al., indicate that the use of gestational surrogacy has continued to increase in the United States from 1999 to 2013. Due to the increasing use of surrogacy and the nature of the process, many ethical considerations color the way in which present legal framework nuances may be further understood. The surrogate mother must endure significant health alterations as well as psychological burdens in this process. Furthemore, the correction and informed consent are imperative considerations that must be kept in mind. Although surrogacy leads couples around the world into parenthood it is imperative to realize at what cost.
As medical tourism has increased the usage of commercial surrogacy has grown along with it. Understanding the process of commercial surrogacy lies in better understanding the patterns behind it, as many countries are transforming into international hubs of commercial surrogate hunting. Countries such as India and Thailand have become global hot spots for many couples around the world, particularly those belonging to first world countries. The commercial surrogacy industry is worth $125 million dollars in Thailand alone, followed by India, the largest fertility tourism destination world, was valued at $449 million dollars in 2006. Although the practice of Commercial Surrogacy is illegal in many countries around the world, such as the UK, France, Norway, and Italy it remains to be legal within the United States with only a few jurisdictions. Despite its being it remains to be a luxury only the wealthy can afford.
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