Wombs for Rent: A Bioethical Analysis of Commercial Surrogacy in India – Tuftscope: The Journal of Health, Ethics and Policy
April 4, 2011
The practice of commercial surrogacy in India has developed into a profitable industry that operates within the free market. The surrogate mothers are generally impoverished, uneducated women from Indian villages, who engage in surrogacy for a variety of reasons. Because of the few government regulations on the surrogacy industry, the interests of the intended parents, the surrogacy clinics, and the brokers and agencies tend to be served before the interests of the surrogates themselves. An analysis of the practice through the lens of medical ethics examines if commercial surrogacy in India violates the four prima facie principles of non-malfeasance, beneficence, autonomy, and justice. Upon this analysis, recommendations can be made as to how and if the commercial surrogacy in India should be changed or regulated in the future.
Please feel free to download or view the following article published in Tuftscope: The Journal of Health, Ethics and Policy. Published May, 2011.