- Title: INDIA: Childless couples throng Anand in search of surrogate mothers
- Date: 2nd July 2010
- Summary: CHILDREN PLAYING IN THE LOCALITY
- Embargoed: 17th July 2010 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: India
- Country: India
- Topics: Health
- Reuters ID: LVA5CITGDR0IVPX67E43QRC2NDUK
- Story Text: Perhaps best known for it's butter production, the bustling town of Anand in the Indian state of Gujarat is gaining a reputation as the epicenter of the surrogacy industry where hundreds of women have carried children of couples from around the world.
In 2004, a 47-year-old grandmother delivered twins for her daughter at the Kaival hospital run by Doctor Nayana Patel, India's most famous "surrogate doctor".
Following that lead, locals and foreigners began to flock to Patel's clinic, drawn by her expertise, the lower costs, relaxed attitude toward surrogates and lack of legislation.
There was a brief lull in demand when couples postponed their plans after losing jobs to the recession, but now with world economies rebounding, the buzz is back at Patel's clinic.
U.S.-based Jennifer Rivas and her surgeon husband Homero, first found out about Dr. Patel's clinic after seeing her on an episode of the Oprah Winfrey show. Rivas says she feels there is a vacuum in her life and sees surrogacy as an opportunity to have a child while helping a poor family.
"I feel like I am not part of that mothers of children society. It is a different lifestyle when you don't have children, you are getting into an age in your life where you have different values and your life takes a different route and it is very important to have a child," Rivas told Reuters Television at Dr Patel's clinic.
Patel has delivered nearly 250 surrogate babies so far and another 60 surrogate mothers are in various stages of pregnancy under her observation.
"The technique, the skill is good in India. The surrogates are committed and dedicated with full support from the family. The money that they get is going to help their whole family and is not for their luxuries. They are non-alcoholics or drug users, the guidelines in India are quite favourable to the couple as the surrogate has no right or duty towards the baby and transparency of the whole procedure. And finally, the affordability, the price is much lower compared to the western world," Patel said.
The whole process from finding a surrogate to the delivery of the child costs around US $23,000 in India, a fraction of what it would cost in a western country, Patel says.
Many surrogates participate in the program in a clandestine manner and do not tell their parents or in-laws for fear of being ostracized. Several of Patel's surrogates live in a "surrogate house" to ensure they have a proper diet and are safe.
Meenal, a 26-year-old mother of a three-year-old daughter Shraddha, said it was the best way for her family to secure the future of their daughter who would otherwise be deprived of a decent education because of the spiraling inflation and extremely low income of her electrician husband Manish.
"They need the child and we are short of money. We have done it for their happiness but it is also good for us, for our home and for our daughter. They will get the child and they will be happy and we will also be happy," said Meenal who is four months pregnant with the child of a couple based in England.
A surrogate is generally paid around 300,000 rupees (US$ 6,450), a huge sum in a country where many live on less than $2 a day.
Both parties sign a contract under which the couple pay for the surrogate's services and her medical care and the latter renounces her right to the baby, precluding chances of a possible custody battle later.
A surrogate must be young, healthy and married with children for physical, and more importantly, psychological support. A mother is less likely to want to keep a surrogate baby if she already has her own children.
Dazzled by Patel's success, hundreds of surrogacy clinics have mushroomed all over India offering low prices to lure prospective parents looking for a "good deal".
Critics say it is yet another form of exploitation and touts promoting "reproductive tourism" that care little for the rights of the surrogate.
Vrinda Marwah at Delhi-based Resource Group for Women and Health, said the surrogacy industry raises some ethical concerns.
"These ethical concerns range from legal - citizenship of the child in question. Who has what claim over the child? The child can have potentially three mothers for instance. It raises questions about the rights of the surrogates themselves, their health rights because they risk facing a lot of adverse consequences to their health because what they are being subjected to are very invasive long-term procedures and drugs. The question of payment, the fact that there is no regulation, they have no bargaining power as compared to commissioning couples, providers etc. Also the issue of commodification of women's' bodies," she said.
India's maternal mortality ratio is 301 in 100 000 births, the highest in south Asia after Bangladesh, says the World Bank.
Deeksha, who mothered a baby for a Japanese couple last year, says the money helped her buy a house and now she wants to do it again to give a better future to her two sons.
"It is a very pious deed. People say that we sell children for money, yes we take money but like they do it for the sake of their child, we do it for the sake of our children. We help each other out. We take money to give good education to our children, for their better future, it is not buying or selling, it is helping each other and I felt very happy after doing it," Deeksha said.
The whole surrogacy debate is gaining momentum in India with the government planning to introduce guidelines to streamline the process - but in the absence of legislation, doctors like Patel say they stick to guidelines from the Indian Council of Medical Research. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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