An interesting trend is developing in America and across the globe: reproductive outsourcing. Yes, you read that right. Parents are paying for overseas surrogates to carry their child to term. And what happens to be one of the most popular overseas locations for the process? India.
Surrogacy is one of several assisted reproduction options available to couples who have experienced difficulty producing a child. Surrogacy involves the implantation of a fertilized egg into the womb of a third party, referred to as the surrogate (the technical term is gestational carrier). The surrogate carries the baby to term, at which point it is transferred, physically and legally, to the waiting parents. The process can be very difficult and time consuming. Because there is not a guarantee that any one egg will produce a viable pregnancy, oftentimes multiple eggs must be fertilized. With each attempt, the prices rise. This makes multiple attempts fairly expensive. Should the process be as success, the issue of the welfare of the surrogate mother can bring additional costs. If a couple decides to use a surrogacy service, the care of the surrogate mother is usually incorporated into the cost of the service.
Additionally, there are surrogacy laws that must be considered. For example, in America, there seems to be three categories when it comes to the enforcement of surrogacy contracts between potential surrogates and the party seeking to have a child: either the state enforces them (followed by states such as Virginia, Florida, and Illinois), prohibits them (the path chosen by states such as Washington, D.C.,… <Read More>