Surrogacy: An industry in India?- Anupama Katakam

The absence of a specific law regulating surrogacy in India makes it a favourite destination for prospective parents from abroad, particularly couples from the United States and the United Kingdom, where it is prohibitively expensive, says Hari Ramasubramanium, a lawyer with Indiansurrogacy.com. “Certainly, stringent legislation is the need of the hour to avoid exploitation and abuse,” he says.

Official estimates on the number of surrogate pregnancies in India are not available. SAMA, a women’s health organisation, says the assisted reproductive technology (ART) industry in India, which includes surrogacy, is estimated at Rs.25,000 crore. Surrogacy in the U.S. costs upwards of $100,000 in addition to the cost of the in vitro fertilisation (IVF) procedure, whereas in India it costs $23,000 to $25,000 as a package.

“Technically there is no law [to regulate surrogacy in India], and secondly it is just one-fourth the cost. That is what makes India an attraction for surrogate pregnancies,” says Preeti Nayak, a health worker with SAMA. “Not only do we need a proper regulatory framework for surrogacy, we also need to look closely at the health aspect as well.”

The government is in the process of making a law to regulate surrogacy. Doctors and health activists, however, have little faith in The Assisted Reproductive Technologies (Regulation) Bill, which is expected to be tabled in Parliament this year. They believe that unless some key issues regarding surrogacy are addressed, this could spiral into a massive racket.

“Currently they are playing with fire,” says a gynaecologist in Mumbai. “I used to have maybe one case a month. Now it is at least one case a week. This has to be regulated and stricter norms must be in place.”

Nonetheless, to many women in Anand, surrogacy has come as a boon. Especially for women like Sharadaben who lived a life of misery and abject poverty, it has been life-changing.

FOR MORE READING. . .