Having been a student of Economics, I sometimes wonder about the hybrid system we are living in today. Organ sale is banned but organ donation encouraged. Here, I am referring to the case of kidney transplants where due to stringent laws the monetary exchange doesn’t come to the fore. Vijay Mallya’s loan of Rs 1,200 crore is written off overnight. Demonetisation is thrust upon the people, all with a noble aim but managed as a halfway house resulting in death of more than fifty people and discomfort to the common man.
Now, surrogacy as a subject is in the firing line. Do we have a choice or notIJ Are we living in a free market economy or a socialist system or with the negatives of bothIJ In this article, I would like to focus on surrogacy. Others issues will be dealt with subsequently.
I feel that surrogacy should not be regulated by the government on the ground that some women are being exploited for the cause. If a poor woman who would not be able to save a couple of lakhs during her entire lifetime has access to renting out, rather lending, her womb and earning well, what is the harm in itIJ Again, the argument goes that there are agents who exploit illiterate women for the purpose. The people who are going in for surrogacy are usually well-to-do because the costs of IVF and surrogacy are high. Such people are based in urban areas or sometimes located abroad. How on earth are they supposed to find on their own a needy woman who will lend her wombIJ There have to be people who can mediate such deals. Definitely, they would take their share of earnings. Some may exploit as happens in any system. In all cases, there are written agreements between the parties. But a majority of cases are resulting in a happy situation for both the parties as the parents want a baby early and the surrogate mother wants the money. I cannot give exact data to support my argument, but this is what I gather from the media and personal experiences of friends.
People after going in for repeated IVF treatment opt for surrogacy as a last resort and have no time to lose. Therefore, if they get subjected to stringent laws and bureaucratic procedures, it may so happen that they may not have a child at all. Data show that across the globe, longevity has increased, but the post-retirement scenario is getting to be difficult in most countries. Retirement is early and pension schemes are getting scarce. Under such conditions, it is very difficult to manage children who are born when parents are in their forties or fifties. It is imminent that the legal procedures are drawn up in a manner so as to facilitate the system rather than creating red tapism.
As of now, there may be exploitation in some cases, but if the government interferes too much in the surrogacy system, a parallel black economy will operate which will be difficult to control. It’s a known fact how the organs, especially kidneys, are being bought for transplant. It is a rule that only relatives can donate a kidney. Either the patients go abroad to skirt the system or produce wrong credentials to prove that the donor is a relative. A parallel market exists. A person who wants to survive and has enough money will go to any extent. Same is the case with having babies. They will go to any length.
India has also become a gateway for countries in the Middle East and South Africa where healthcare facilities are not up to the mark. Their citizens visit our large metros for treatment in IVF and surrogacy. They pay more than our Indian counterparts. Foreign money does flow into our medical system which has become costly for an average Indian. There are some medical centres which totally survive on foreign clients. If surrogacy gives happiness to both the parents and the surrogate mother, it should be encouraged. Instead of denouncing this concept, there should be networking by professional agencies and awareness programmes which can help people achieve happiness.
(The writer, a freelancer, is a futurologist and imparting spiritual guidance to young professionals. E-mail: sikta_pati@rediffmail.com)