Advancements in technology have provided numerous benefits to human life, making work easier and general quality of life far better than before. Apart from improving the quality of living, technology has also paved the way for the broadening of human perspectives allowing technology to be a tool in the perpetuation of the human species. One of the medical advancements which has raised controversial issues is mother surrogacy. Read on to find out more information about it.
In a nutshell, being a mother surrogate is a term that refers to a woman who bore and gave birth to a child who is either her own offspring or a fully developed fetus implanted into her womb. Surrogacy is usually an option taken by couples who are unable to bear their own children. In some instances, surrogacy is an option taken by unmarried women who have been wanting to become mothers even without domestic partners or by same sex couples., Also, high profile infertile individuals make take this option and can afford to pay for commercial surrogacy, a term which may derogatorily be called “womb for rent”.
There are two general kinds of surrogacy. The first one is traditional because the mother surrogate is the biological mother of the child. The other is called gestational surrogacy as the mother surrogate’s womb serves as a host of the embryo being implanted until it becomes a fully developed fetus. In traditional surrogacy, the sperm needed to make fertilization happen can be taken from the male parent who requests a child or can be from a donor. In the gestational surrogacy, the mother surrogate cannot be called the child’s biological mother since she is only a host of the developing embryo.
Since surrogacy is a bit different from adoptions, this practice is marked by legal controversy. However, many countries even in US states have their own legal provisions concerning the legitimacy of the children born out of surrogates and their intended parents. To avoid lawsuits, some states require pre-birth orders to identify the intended parents of the child. This is to avoid legal disputes which were common before.
Another controversy is sparked by the feminists who liken mother surrogates to prostitutes. They describe surrogacy as patriarchal violence as it disrespects the bodies of women using them as “commodities” and degrades the babies being born. However, the feminists view against surrogacy is being ignored since most people believe that having children, whether biological or not, completes the family. Studies show that most surrogate mothers are not emotionally attached to the children they gave birth, unlike the intending parents who want the children in the first place. The series of studies have refuted the popular speculation that surrogates tend to be closer to the children they gave birth to since they were the host of the children for several months.
Whether morally good or bad, the source of the controversy is the fact that surrogacy is a non-traditional method of child bearing. Despite the different views regarding surrogacy, the most important thing is that the children born out of mother surrogates are given all the rights, respect and love which they rightfully deserve to have in order to live harmoniously in the world.
Learn everything on how a traditional surrogacy works and if it’s applicable to your case. Find out the different way of having your own child by clicking the link provided.
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