Sir — Many people have mixed feelings about the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2016, cleared by the Union Cabinet. Surrogacy is a gift of medical science to childless couples and those who are unable to conceive. The morality of surrogacy is a settled matter. Few accuse this assisted reproductive procedure of cheapening human life or tampering with nature.
There is no difference between ‘altruistic surrogacy’ and ‘commercial surrogacy’ in terms of biology. It is undeniable that ‘commercial surrogacy’ which involves payment to a woman for carrying someone else’s child is misused in our country. India has become the global hub of surrogacy because of availability of women who volunteer to rent their wombs at cheap rates.
However, a blanket ban on commercial surrogacy is not the right way to end exploitation of poor women. Here, we are throwing the baby out with the bathwater. A woman’s right to free choice is sacrosanct, and the state can’t curtail a woman’s autonomy.
What is needed is regulation of commercial surrogacy to provide protection to women. Women willing for surrogacy for financial gain or the satisfaction of proving a service must have their way. A mechanism also has to be put in place to take care of the surrogate mother and child. It is nobody’s case that unethical practices that reduce women to saleable commodities should not be checked.
Also, the exclusion of foreigners, live-in couples, homosexuals and single parents from even ‘altruistic surrogacy’, which Union Minister Sushma Swaraj finds to be in alignment with ‘Indian ethos’, reiterates the perception that the BJP is pushing a Right-wing cultural agenda. This Bill should not be rushed through Parliament.