‘Mother’s Market’: An Exploratory Study on the Surrogacy Industry in India

With increasing incidences of infertility, the surrogate mothers are considered as an alternative which enables childless couples to have a child of their own with the help of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs). Commercial surrogacy has evolved as the most lucrative and unregulated ‘industry’ in India and every actor involved plays its role in a clandestine manner. Though legal, there are no laws governing it in India attracting even large number of foreign customers. Based on a field study in Kolkata city in 2012, it was found that though surrogacy is termed as a ‘generous and kind act’, doctors, agents and surrogate women are earning quick money, despite many health hazards. In a country like India, with high maternal death rate and low status of women, this raises many questions on unethical medical practices and human rights violations of poor illiterate women who choose to be surrogate mothers only for monetary gains.