Surrogacy—The Bless or Curse of Technological Advancement

Abstract

The word Surrogate is derived from the latin Subrogare means to substitute. The procedure of surrogacy is the Brain Child of ART or Assisted Reproductive Techniques which is considered as one of the bless of modem technological advancement that has given smiles to the faces of many infertile couples.

According to this technique, a surrogate mother is a woman agreeing to have an embryo generated from the sperm of a man who is not her husband and the oocyte of another woman implanted in her womb to carry the pregnancy to full term and deliver the child to its biological parents.

Unfortunately the curtain raising incidence that produced much hue and cry among the social activists about the necessity of this procedure is the delivery of a surrogate baby at Apollo Gleneagles Hospital, Kolkata on 25th of Sept'2008, where contrary to the guidelines given in the Surrogate Bill to be passed by the Parliament, the surrogate mother was a 46 years old Indian woman who was provided with Rs.3000/- per month as maintenance charge during pregnancy and Rs.3 lakhs on successful delivery of the baby and handing it over to the biological parents who were US citizens. Thus came into view out of a sudden oblivion about a nexus of Medical Tourism and surrogacy, spreading rapidly in the whole society in the name of technological advancement.