Commercial surrogacy

[53rdWay]

It looks from the Tom Daley threads like a lot of people weren't aware of what commercial surrogacy is or why any feminists would have a problem with it, or both. So I thought it'd be useful to share some links I've found informative about the issue. Please share others!

Katha Pollitt: The Strange Case of Baby M (this is from 1998, and it is brilliant. "Goods can be distributed according to ability to pay or need. People can’t.")

Julie Bindel: Commercial surrogacy breeds exploitation, abuse and misery

Julie Bindel again: India's surrogacy clinics

Katja Ekis Ekman: All surrogacy is exploitation - the world should follow Sweden's ban

Regula Staempfli: Surrogate motherhood is not work, it is exploitation

Glosswitch/Victoria Smith: The feminist history of surrogacy: should pregnancy give a woman rights over a baby?

Ukraine is not known for its progressive methods of surrogacy, and actually this is out and out exploitation of my European neighbours

www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/ukraine-baby-factories-human-cost-surrogacy-180912201251153.html

I don't have a problem with non commercial surrogacy as OddBoots described, in fact the only surrogacy I'm comfortable with is when the birth mother is NOT paid and so has no financial incentive. I do worry about the impact on birth mothers and children though.

Surrogacy UK's second report of the surrogacy uk working group on surrogacy law reform makes it very clear that there is no appetite for commercialisation of surrogacy in the UK amongst surrogates or intended parents - but there is a strong desire for greater regulation and legal reform

May be of interest

surrogacyuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Surrogacy-in-the-UK-2nd-Report-20181230.pdf

legal reform

I'm very against anything that would allow the commissioning parents to have legal ownership of a baby in another woman't uterus.

I think, much like sex, surrogacy (which I fundamentally disagree with) can only approach being acceptable when it's by full and enthusiastic consent all through, and up to sharing the baby with the new parents - and you don't get that when someone is contractually obliged.