Surrogacy in India, a boon for childless couples

In what was considered an alternative reproductive option or a mere last resort has now become mostly a hush-hush choice of couples and is gradually hopping across to the mainstream. Bollywood stars are giving the practice of surrogacy a stamp of social legitimacy. The emerging trend of couples opting for children with the help of a surrogate mother has become real and is on the rise across the country.

Not only has the commercial surrogacy industry become an instant hit in the country after Bollywood icon Shah Rukh Khan and wife Gauri Khan became proud parents of baby boy Abram who was born from a surrogate mother, but it has also lifted the shame of being barren in most patriarchal societies. The open acknowledgement of the measure has given the process a kind of glamour and acceptability it did not possess earlier.

"People are now open to surrogacy and the taboo is no longer associated with it. There are a lot of clinics across the country and the prevalence of the industry is crystal clear with an estimate of 22 per cent in the urban areas," says Abhishek Biswas, Head of Genome Fertility Centre.

Surrogacy, an act of arrangement to carry the pregnancy of intended parent, is often resorted to when medical issues do not permit pregnancy or make carrying a pregnancy risky. Monetary compensation may or may not be a part of the deal. If the surrogate receives compensation beyond the reimbursement of medical and other reasonable expenses, it is known as commercial surrogacy; otherwise it is referred to as altruistic surrogacy.

With infertility rates on the rise and a growing acceptance of same-sex couples, thousands of people annually are opting for this measure as a way of having genetic children through a process of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) and embryo transfer. Moreover, with commercial surrogacy banned in most nations, many are flocking to India to hire the wombs of woman in what is known as 'surrogacy tourism'.

"Surrogacy has become a need and is the only solution to infertile couples all over the world. India not only caters its service of commercial surrogacy to the couples of its own country but also to couples from all over the world," says Dr Rajiv Agarwal, IVF Care.

IVF is a more common form of surrogacy. In this procedure, a woman carries a pregnancy created by the egg and sperm of a genetic couple. The egg of the wife is fertilized in-vitro by the husband's sperms by IVF/ICSI procedure and the embryo is transferred into the surrogate's uterus who carries it for nine months. The child is not genetically linked to the surrogate.

According to a recent survey, infertility affects nearly 13-14 per cent of reproductive-aged couples. Late marriages, career priorities and finance are generally the key causes behind it. Doctors say that nearly 60 per cent of patients above 40 have difficulty in conceiving naturally. Thanks to top quality equipments, favourable pricing and a hassle-free 'legal' process, the affair has been made ideal for such couples in the country. Having a baby through in-vitro fertilisation has gone a long way to make this topic mainstream. According to a report, there has been an average increase of 25 per cent in the number of fertility units in the city.

"There are a lot of clinics set up in the country and Kolkata has become a hub for international couples. In Bangladesh, the process is yet to be declared legal. Many other developing countries either do not allow commercial surrogacy or have few sophisticated hospitals," adds Biswas.

There are no official figures on how large the fertility industry is in India. A United Nations backed study in July 2012 estimated the surrogacy business at more than four hundred million dollars a year, with over three thousand fertility clinics across the country.

Reports show that more and more couples are opting for children via surrogacy. Moreover, it was Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao's baby through surrogacy that brought the procedure into public focus and this approach further adopted by none other than King Khan has merely helped change the perception of Indian couples.

With Bollywood endorsing surrogacy, the practice in India has attained a different level of social acceptability. A medical boon, the concept of surrogacy has managed to lurk within the darkness of mass ignorance. It has helped put aside ethical and moral concerns as the stigma associated with it continued to dwindle away. Also, it is no longer considered to be a discreet affair and has rather become something to parade and vaunt.

However, experts believe that the practice is often misconceived as a form of exploitation only to provide countless pleasures to a couple. "Unfortunately, surrogacy is often misunderstood by the media and is seen as a form of exploitation of a woman to provide immense satisfaction to couples. Such wrong perceptions should be highly discouraged," says Agarwal.

The practice carries with it a package of benefits for both the commissioning couple and the surrogate. Women who are hired as surrogates usually belong to poor families, desperate to break away from poverty. She is endowed with means that help them bring about a reformation in their lifestyle. She is given special attention and is treated with extreme care. Additionally, special accommodation called 'surrogate homes' are also provided where they are kept under hygienic conditions and are monitored throughout the pregnancy phase.

"Surrogacy is in no manner a form of exploitation, it is rather a means to provide a livelihood to many. The surrogate is entirely looked after for nine months with a focus on the thought that she is carrying someone," adds Agarwal. The commercial fertility industry has proved to be a boon for working couples, who have no time to procreate and are looking for wombs on rent. It provides a form of autonomy to women in terms of their reproductive choices.

Surrogacy in India has become a boon for several childless couples who have discovered their joy through the strategy. It has become very popular and successful among those who were helpless when it came to experiencing the dream of parenthood. And with celebrities endorsing the fertility industry, it has added to its value and served as a role model.