Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
ANAND, India, Apr 19, 2006 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Surrogate mothering, a form of "reproductive tourism," may become India's next industry for a share of the outsourcing market from abroad.
Citing a case in a western Indian state, The Los Angeles Times reports a 32-year-old school teacher, who has three children of her own, is carrying the baby of a U.S. couple.
In return for her surrogate services, she will be paid about $5,000, a windfall that would take her more than six years to earn on her teacher's salary, says the report.
She is also happy to be able to bring some cheer to a childless couple in the United States, where such services would cost them thousands more in addition to legal red tape. Two of the woman's sisters have served as surrogates, while her sister-in-law is ready to join with the consent of her husband.
An increasing number of infertile couples from abroad are traveling to India in search of such women, says the report.
Says a former state health secretary: "It's a completely capitalistic enterprise. There is nothing unethical about it."
But those opposed object to rich couples from the West paying Indian women for the use of their bodies. They also worry about the exploitation of poor women and the risks arising from multiple pregnancies.
URL: www.upi.com Copyright 2006 by United Press International
