What is Wrong with Surrogacy: Ethical Issues to Think About

Each couple will consider giving birth to build a family after they get married. To born or not to born is the right that every family has. Infertile couples can also greet their next generation by hiring a surrogate mother. However, surrogacy causes a lot of moral problems. In my opinion, the concept of surrogacy has some ethical issues. In the following essay, I will explain each reason in detail.

Surrogacy turns fertility into a business deal. From the perspective of intended parents, it distorted the meaning of fertility. People look forward to the dream of giving birth and building their own family. They treat the baby as the pledge of love which is positive and gorgeous. Giving birth to a baby is a stage that every woman will experience. However, some couples focus on their career when they are young. And this caused them to miss the best reproductive age. Or they are unwilling to experience the painful process of delivering baby. Therefore, they give money to a surrogate mother to have a baby. This procedure just like 'buying' a baby. The infant becomes a 'product' that turnover between surrogate mother and intended parents. The process of giving birth to a baby is painful but meaningful. The intended parents do not need to experience the process since they give money to surrogate mothers. It seems that money can solve any problems include delivering the baby. In India, the surrogate has become an industry. The surrogates in India received 4000 to 5000 Us dollars as compensation while the agencies charge double in total. It shows that surrogacy in India is common and kind of business deal. Women become “baby-making machine”. It twisted the original meaning of giving birth.

Non-Obvious Ethical Issues of Surrogacy in Modern World

In my view, the surrogate mother regards their body as a tool for making money. The purpose of being a surrogate mother is to earn money. In poverty, people have poor living resources and a low level of education. Being a surrogate mother is one of the efficient ways to earn money. However, this action equivalent to 'selling' a baby. Besides, in Chinese culture, the classics of Filial Piety said that our bodies - to every hair and bit of skin - are received by us from our parents, and we must not presume to injure or wound our body. This is the beginning of filial piety. The concept of surrogacy violated filial piety since the behavior is like selling their uterus to gain benefits. It seems that they are careless to their bodies. And this equivalent to hurt their bodies. Also, we are vivid and substantial and we are not an emotionless robot.

Moreover, some people said that surrogacy is a way to create a family since some couples cannot give birth due to different reasons. However, if a surrogate mother had already delivered a baby, the intended parent does not want the baby for some reason, for example, they are divorced or the baby has a congenital disorder like congenital heart disorder. In this situation, who should take the responsibility to take care of the baby? This is worth pondering. If one of them has to take care of the baby, we have no idea whether the person has the ability. The worst case is neither side wants the baby. The baby born with no parents, how should he or she survive in the future? Most people grow up in a family but that baby grows up in an orphanage since he or she is abandoned. This brings negative effects on their physical and mental health. There is a famous case called 'Baby Gammy' that happened in 2014. An Australian couple found that they could not naturally conceive and found a surrogate mother in Thailand. When they discovered that the baby suffering from Down syndrome, the couple abandoned him. If the same case happened again, it will only make more and more babies being abandoned.

In a traditional family, one family only have one father and mother. However, in a family who found a surrogate mother, the child has three mothers. Include gestational mother, social mother, and genetic mother. Gestational mother gives birth to the child. The social mother brings up the child. And genetic mother provides an egg to the family. Three mothers have a relationship with the child. Then, who is the real mother of the child and who should the child called a mother? The child may be confused about the family relationships in the future. In another case, the child may be born in a single-parent family that has no mother. The child has no idea about who is his or her mother and grow up in an environment that lacks maternal love. This may cause personality defects.

There is another question that whether we should let the surrogate mother to see her “child” or not? Surrogate mother procedurally will not take care of the child since they completed the work as long as the baby is born. However, the child grows up slowly in her belly, from an embryo to a baby in ten months. Although this child is not her natural child, she gives birth to him or her. Everyone knows that the process of delivering a baby is not easy. Some people said it is a very complicated day after the baby returns home with his or her parents. It means that the surrogate mother should return to normal life with her own family. However, is it a must that the surrogate mother should not visit the child? This is the issue to be considered.

Questions for a Surrogate Mother to Think About

If someone plans to be a surrogate mother, there are some suggestions for them. First, she should think twice before being a surrogate mother. It is because this is not a trivial matter, it involves different aspects. Her family, partner and friends may have different opinions about it. Will the relationship between her own family be broken due to her decision? Is she have her own baby? These are the question that she should think about before becoming a surrogate mother. Therefore, she should deal with these opinions and make her own choice. She should ask all of her family members before making her final decision. In my opinion, she should not become a surrogate if her family disagrees with her decision.

Second, she needs to learn how to manage her emotions. After delivering the baby, the baby will return to their home with natural parents. Theoretically, the relationship with the baby has come to an end. And she returned to the previous life. At this time, she has to learn to deal with the mixed emotions.

Third, as being a surrogate will bring huge damages to her body, she should do full body health and ask advice from a doctor before becoming a surrogate mother. Also, a surrogate mother is also called a “baby-making machine”. It means that a surrogate mother has to give birth several times. She should check and ensure her physical condition can afford the influence bring by giving birth.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the ethical considerations surrounding surrogacy are complex and multifaceted, and the arguments against surrogacy highlight significant concerns about commodification, exploitation, and the potential harm to the surrogate mother and the child. I believe that there is no argumentative reasons for surrogacy which we can named 'ethical'. If family wants to have a child they can adopt one. There are different ways for solving problems which are listed above in more ethical way rather than turn to surrogacy. 

Reference

• Bbc News (2016, April 14). Australian couple 'did not reject Down's baby' Gammy. Retrieved on November 7, 2019 from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-36012320
• Conceiveabilities (2018). Do Surrogate Mothers Get Attached to the Baby?. Retrieved on November 14, 2019 from https://www.conceiveabilities.com/about/blog/do-surrogate-mothers-get-attached-to-the-baby
• Surrogacy in India: What You Need to Know (2015). Surrogate.com. Retrieved from https://surrogate.com/intended-parents/international-surrogacy/surrogacy-in-india/
• Wikisource (2017). The Classic of Filial Piety. Retrieved on November 10, 2019 from https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Classic_of_Filial_Piety