Running Head: Surrogate Mothering
Laura Purdy’s Surrogate Mothering: Exploitation or Empowerment
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
2
Surrogate Mothering
Summary
The moral framework of surrogate mothering is addressed through the ethical theory that
analyzes the rightness of its social aspects, based on the consequences. Pundits of surrogacy
contend that the risk and weight of pregnancy are moved to another woman. It causes the
separation of reproduction from sex and childbearing. However, these acts are not considered
necessarily wrong, either ethically for women or society's fundamental benefits. The practice of
surrogacy can be manifested immoral if the women are forced into these training and penalizing
agreements. Whereas, reproductive labor possibly enables women to stand high in the society by
providing employment that prevails less risk and financial independence.
The reproductive innovations are a moderately new phenomenon and its accessibility has
expanded considerably in the last decade. This article challenges the perceptions of feminists and
analyzes the underlying effects relative to surrogacy. It has been claimed that there are certain
benefits of adapting to the surrogacy technique as it shares the burden of the pregnancy with
another woman. The problems related to conception in high-risk females can be overwhelmed by
giving the responsibility of childbearing to the women, who are less probably to be affected.
Moreover, it argues that the level of genetic diseases and infertility can be brought to a minimum
level by hiring a surrogate mother. Besides, there is a concept that non-traditional families,
including a gay couple, can start a healthy life. It has been also argued that surrogacy accompanies
the exploitation of women, as it serves as the source of revenue for the women willing to bear the
pain of pregnancy. This act of surrogacy has taken the term "baby-selling"; as it claims that it's the
right of the surrogate mother to be compensated for holding the baby for a complete nine months.
It indicated that the right has been given to the women to utilize their bodies in the way they want,
to nourish a child either for herself or for others. (Bromfield & Rotabi, 2014)
3
Surrogate Mothering
In several ways, I disagree with the hidden concept of “her body, my baby”. However, the
arguments presented in the current article could have been more convincing, if ethical values were
considered deliberately. The article mainly focused on the conventional method of surrogacy,
involving the fertilization between the egg of surrogate mother and the sperm of another man. This
process of baby development not only crosses the limits of ethical codes but also produces a baby
having no legal rights. In this era of technology, a new method of gestational surrogacy has been
introduced that implies the in-vitro fertilization. It utilizes the surrogate mother just as host, instead
of being a biological parent to the infant. Moreover, I would stand against the argument of
preventing the genetic spread of disease, as there are chances that surrogate mothers might be
suffering from life-threatening diseases. In addition, the state of being emotional towards the baby
would be less as compared to the one undergoing the natural process of pregnancy. I would argue
on the statement given at the baby-selling, as it will become the direct and illegal way to earn
money. Some people might be running it as a business to generate revenues on a larger scale,
especially in the under-developed countries. The major concern lies in ethical values, which can
be completely exploited by surrogate mothers as they violate the traditional customs of family
development. Connecting to the point of non-traditional families presented in the article, I believe
that it diminishes the concept of the traditional and cultural family unit. Moreover, it is not being
practiced in many countries due to many religious and cultural norms, considering it as a major
sin. Although, surrogacy justifies the need for infertile parents but anything produced against the
laws of nature can tend to have a harmful impact. Thus, the surrogacy has increased the
complexities and inequalities among the people around the globe.
4
Surrogate Mothering
References
Bromfield, N. F., & Rotabi, K. S. (2014). Global Surrogacy, Exploitation, Human Rights and
International Private Law: A Pragmatic Stance and Policy Recommendations. Global
Social Welfare, 123-135. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40609014-0019-4