A thought provoking presentation by political philosopher Michael Sandel who analyses the ethical implications of using poor women in developing countries like India as commercial surrogate mothers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztgNTO3j3rE

Is this a free and fair marketplace of buyers and sellers providing a potential income stream for women without many employment opportunities? Or could this arrangement potentially lead to exploitation of women in poor countries by family members and others? Are there some values that are more important than commercial values?

We would welcome your thoughts.

Unethical and exploitative.

On the surface the argument that being a surrogate mother is a service appears a fair one. By offering it, an income stream can be generated for otherwise disadvantaged people. If it's not available then they will continue to be disadvantaged.

Sure, the service has its costs, including birth pains and risks, and psychological distress for the surrogate mother, but so does any service. Just adjust the price accordingly.

But consider the underlying context.

The reason this service is being suggested in India is not because Indian women are the only ones who see the merit in the service. It's because they are poor; ie. need money to survive or raise their living standards above the poverty line. As a result you get a lower price. If this wasn't the case, the service could be offered in developed nations with better healthcare. But it isn't.

As a result the idea that we are offering women in developing nations an opportunity is misleading. We're looking to exploit the lower labor costs involved.

The fact that people live in poverty and offer low labor prices in developing nations in not a reason to send them more business at these rates. It is a reason to improve the conditions of these nations that lead to poverty and low labor prices.

This is especially the case when research has demonstrated that the corruption and poverty conditions in most developed nations is directly the result of the economic policies set by developed nations, which directly encourage and facilitate the kind of exploitation that outsourcing surrogate pregnancy must be considered.

It's not an issue of whether outsourcing is ethical or not, but rather, the social conditions in that country due to surrogacy being a gender-based issue. One can argue the merits or pitfalls of outsourcing until the cows come home (get it! cows! I'm a comedian), but ultimately the Indians, like most developing peoples, have come to the realisation that outsourcing is ultimately economically beneficial.

The issue of outsourcing surrogacy is somewhat different, as surrogacy can only be done by women. In a society that is nowhere near advanced as western nations regarding gender equality, this is a big issue. Women being pressured into having babies so that more socially powerful male relatives (husbands, brothers, fathers, etc) can profit is not unforeseeable. There is also the issue of traditional criminal elements, who already have the 'pimp with prostitutes' structure using this as a means of illicit, coerced money-making.

I would say that the underlying principle is fine, however it would have to be well regulated to ensure that corruption, criminality and coercion are minimised given the previously mentioned issues.

That video has summarized the good and the ugly scenes that potential surrogate mothers will experience. India has always been the destination for outsourcing IT services, but in terms of surrogacy it is not far away. Likewise, with the education levels among rural women being on a lower side the exploitation of women is on a higher potential. In country like India where child birth is considered sacred, the surrogate mothers will take up the contract with dedication. All in all, the women planning to provide a surrogate baby must be made aware of all the medical side effects if any or any other disadvantage.

everything has its merits and demerits .
in my view the outsourcing IT Services is different thing and outsourcing a child is much different .
in my view this is not a good practice to outsource the child from other country and poor mother .

Two interesting updates on the topic of overseas surrogacy, including legal rights of children born overseas to a surrogate and a new study on women's rights in India.

Ireland's concern over surrogacy guidelines
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/bre ... ing66.html

New study on surrogate mother's rights
http://www.bioedge.org/index.php/bioeth ... ticle/9974

This is happening not only in India and some of the African countries. This is some kind of like outsourcing you can say that. Poverty is the main reason of these developing countries in south Asia.

In this type of outsourcing I strongly say it is unethical.

The issue is one of poverty. In certain parts of India is it not uncommon for a parent to injure their child to make them more endearing while begging. People will go to extreme measures to survive poverty and a womb for rent is merely another example.