Art Bill Still Pending, When Will Surrogates Get Their Due Share in India?

Abstract

In the global medical markets, with the breakthrough in science and biotechnology, ‘Bodies’ and its ‘parts’ can be sold, purchased or even stolen. Around the world, with growing infertility, couples are moving across borders to bear their own biological child, using assisted and New Reproductive Technologies (NRT), culminating into what is called ‘reproductive tourism’ or ‘fertility tourism’. There are different perspectives to see the process of surrogacy, especially the gestationalcommercial, where the third person a ‘surrogate’ bears child/children, for nine months without any genetic relations, only to relinquish to the commissioning couple for a cost. Clearly there are strict laid down rules and regulations in many countries, where altruistic surrogacy is allowed but commercial surrogacy is completely banned and is illegal.