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Book Details
Abstract
Transnational surrogacy – the creation of babies across borders – has become big business. Globalization, reproductive technologies, new family formations and rising infertility are combining to produce a 'quiet revolution' in social and medical ethics and the nature of parenthood. Whereas much of the current scholarship has focused on the US and India, this groundbreaking anthology offers a far wider perspective.
Featuring contributions from over thirty activists and scholars from a range of countries and disciplines, this collection offers the first genuinely international study of transnational surrogacy. Its innovative bottom-up approach, rooted in feminist perspectives, gives due prominence to the voices of those most affected by the global surrogacy chain, namely the surrogate mothers, donors, prospective parents and the children themselves. Through case studies ranging from Israel to Mexico, the book outlines the forces that are driving the growth of transnational surrogacy, as well as its implications for feminism, human rights, motherhood and masculinity.
‘Tackles the booming business in cross-border surrogacy with a provocative collection of international feminist perspectives. It challenges us to think harder about the elephant-in-the-room question: Can commercial transnational surrogacy ever be ethical? This volume makes an important contribution to the debate.’
Marcy Darnovsky, Executive Director, Center for Genetics and Society
‘Transcending the usual rhetoric of reproductive choice and free markets, these authors provide reasoned argument and survey evidence from around the globe, questioning whether surrogacy really represents a “win-win” situation for all parties.’
Donna Dickenson, University of London (Emeritus)
‘Miranda Davies has brought together a number of eminent authors and produced an outstanding collection. By combining academic approaches, empirical evidence and real-life stories, this book adds an entirely new dimension to the debate on the ethics of cross-border commercial surrogacy.’
Katarina Trimmings, University of Aberdeen
‘These original, informed and critical analyses of transnational surrogacy make a vital intervention in impassioned debates. Chapters by leading international scholars and activists address ethical issues, feminist perspectives and the implications for children. They deserve to be widely read.’
Ann Phoenix, Institute of Education, University of London
'A ground-breaking book, where the voices of activists and those of researchers come together to address one of the most important, and complex, phenomena of our time: the transnational market in baby-making.'
Yasmine Ergas, Columbia University
'Useful for collections on globalization, medical ethics, and international law ... highly recommended.'
Choice
'The collection lays out detailed considerations that should be taken into account, through legal regulation, in any surrogacy arrangement, regardless of a country’s position … Whether this will be done, and if so, how rapidly, will depend on the energy brought … Miranda Davies’ anthology is an invaluable contribution to galvanising that energy.'
Jane Cottingham, Reproductive Health Matters
'A brilliant collection.'
Amelia Abraham, Refinery 29
Miranda Davies is a writer and editor with a longstanding interest in gender, development and human rights. She has worked for numerous organisations, including Isis International Women's Network, the Central America Committee for Human Rights, Virago, Channel Four, the Rough Guides, Sort Of Books and CoramBAAF Adoption and Fostering Academy, where she is managing editor of Adoption & Fostering journal. This is her fourth international anthology for Zed.
Table of Contents
| Section Title | Page | Action | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front Cover | Front cover | ||
| About the editor | ii | ||
| Title Page | iii | ||
| Copyright | iv | ||
| Contents | v | ||
| Acknowledgements | viii | ||
| Glossary | x | ||
| Preface | xiii | ||
| Introduction | 1 | ||
| A new era in human reproduction | 3 | ||
| Surrogacy today: the main actors | 7 | ||
| Can transnational surrogacy ever be ethical? | 12 | ||
| Notes | 13 | ||
| References | 13 | ||
| Part One. Reconstructing Parenthood | 17 | ||
| 1. Motherhood in fragments: the disaggregation of biology | 19 | ||
| The backdrop | 21 | ||
| Public health ramifications | 24 | ||
| Contradictions and inconsistencies | 26 | ||
| Guiding principles moving forwards | 29 | ||
| References | 31 | ||
| 2. Constructions of gay men’s reproductive desires on commercial surrogacy clinic websites | 33 | ||
| Introduction | 33 | ||
| Previous research | 33 | ||
| Method | 35 | ||
| Results | 36 | ||
| Discussion | 43 | ||
| References | 45 | ||
| Part Two. Global Babies: Who Benefits? | 47 | ||
| 3. Transnational surrogacy and the earthquake in Nepal: a case study from Israel | 49 | ||
| The earthquake | 49 | ||
| Regulatory background | 51 | ||
| The rescue effort | 53 | ||
| Inside the business | 55 | ||
| A client’s experience | 58 | ||
| Reproductive trafficking | 60 | ||
| Thoughts on bio-piracy | 61 | ||
| Note | 63 | ||
| References | 63 | ||
| 4 Recruiting to give birth: agent-facilitators and the commercial surrogacy arrangement in India | 65 | ||
| Background | 65 | ||
| Recruiting to survive: Deepal | 69 | ||
| Recruiting to train: Paromita | 73 | ||
| Discussion | 75 | ||
| Conclusion | 78 | ||
| Postscript | 79 | ||
| Notes | 80 | ||
| References | 81 | ||
| 5. Gestational surrogacy: how safe? | 82 | ||
| Introduction | 82 | ||
| Risks to gestational surrogates | 84 | ||
| Risks to egg providers | 87 | ||
| Absence of data does not mean absence of risk | 89 | ||
| Risks to embryos, fetuses and infants | 91 | ||
| Surrogacy risks shared by pregnant women and infants | 95 | ||
| Conclusion | 96 | ||
| Notes | 100 | ||
| References | 100 | ||
| 6. The fertility continuum: racism, bio-capitalism and post-colonialism in the transnational surrogacy industry | 105 | ||
| Introduction | 105 | ||
| The fertility continuum: from sterilization abuse to surrogacy | 106 | ||
| Bio-politics, neoliberalism and global capitalism | 111 | ||
| From female contract labourers to ‘repropreneurs’ | 115 | ||
| Towards a reproductive justice agenda | 118 | ||
| Acknowledgements | 120 | ||
| Notes | 120 | ||
| References | 120 | ||
| 7. Networks of reproduction: politics and practices surrounding surrogacy in Romania | 123 | ||
| Introduction | 123 | ||
| Background | 125 | ||
| A growing demand | 128 | ||
| Crackdown on the illegal egg trade | 130 | ||
| Attitudes and motives for pursuing surrogacy: views from the internet | 131 | ||
| The Church and public opinion | 135 | ||
| Notes | 138 | ||
| References | 139 | ||
| 8. Surrogacy arrangements in austerity Greece: policy considerations in a permissive regime | 142 | ||
| Introduction | 142 | ||
| The Greek context | 143 | ||
| Greek law | 144 | ||
| Surrogacy in practice | 148 | ||
| Public attitudes | 150 | ||
| Feminist critiques | 152 | ||
| Policy considerations and the economic crisis | 154 | ||
| Conclusions | 156 | ||
| Notes | 156 | ||
| References | 157 | ||
| Blogs and relevant websites | 159 | ||
| Part Three. What about the Children? | 161 | ||
| 9. What are children’s ‘best interests’ in international surrogacy A social work perspective from the UK | 163 | ||
| Introduction | 163 | ||
| Surrogacy in the UK | 164 | ||
| Criticisms of the current UK system | 167 | ||
| A growing international surrogacy market | 169 | ||
| A social work response to the challenges posed by international surrogacy | 172 | ||
| Information and money as sources of power and exploitation | 176 | ||
| Pulling it all together to find a way forward | 177 | ||
| Note | 180 | ||
| References | 180 | ||
| 10. What about the children? Citizenship, nationality and the perils of statelessness | 185 | ||
| Stateless babies and children: the fundamental dilemmas | 185 | ||
| The limitations of international law | 187 | ||
| Can the law keep up? | 190 | ||
| The role of the European courts | 191 | ||
| The risks and realities of separation | 194 | ||
| Some examples from the UK | 195 | ||
| The situation in the US | 197 | ||
| Should intended parents be screened? | 198 | ||
| Conclusion | 199 | ||
| Notes | 200 | ||
| References | 201 | ||
| 11. Transnational third-party assisted conception: pursuing the desire for ‘origins’ information in the internet era | 204 | ||
| Introduction | 204 | ||
| Rules and regulations | 207 | ||
| Harnessing the power of the internet | 210 | ||
| Concluding thoughts | 214 | ||
| Note | 216 | ||
| References | 216 | ||
| Part Four. Feminist Responses around the World | 219 | ||
| 12. Frequently unasked questions: understanding and responding to gaps in public knowledge of international surrogacy practices worldwide | 221 | ||
| Assisted reproduction in an unregulated global market | 221 | ||
| Digging deeper: transnational commercial surrogacy on the ground, in the media and online | 225 | ||
| On the ground: a survey of grassroots knowledge and response | 226 | ||
| In the news media: a survey of trends in coverage | 229 | ||
| Online: sorting through the internet noise | 233 | ||
| The agility and growth of a business | 238 | ||
| Surrogacy360: addressing the knowledge gap and expanding civil society discourse | 240 | ||
| Conclusion | 241 | ||
| Notes | 241 | ||
| References | 242 | ||
| 13. Surrogate motherhood: ethical or commercial? | 245 | ||
| Introduction | 245 | ||
| The landscape of surrogacy in India | 246 | ||
| Jurisdiction in India | 247 | ||
| CSR study: Delhi and Mumbai | 252 | ||
| The surrogate mothers | 252 | ||
| The commissioning parents | 255 | ||
| Surrogacy centres/clinics/agencies in Delhi and Mumbai | 256 | ||
| More recent recommendations | 257 | ||
| Acknowledgements | 260 | ||
| Note | 260 | ||
| References | 260 | ||
| 14. Surrogacy in Mexico . | 262 | ||
| Surrogacy as a human rights issue | 262 | ||
| ARTs in Mexico | 263 | ||
| Surrogacy legislation in Mexico | 264 | ||
| Surrogacy practices in Mexico | 266 | ||
| Final remarks | 274 | ||
| Notes | 274 | ||
| References | 275 | ||
| 15. A reproductive justice analysis of genetic technologies: report of a national convening of women of colour and indigenous women | 276 | ||
| Introduction | 276 | ||
| 1. Genetic technologies in different communities | 279 | ||
| 2. Identifying shared values and perspectives | 285 | ||
| 3. Next steps | 287 | ||
| 4. Application of analysis and strategy in response to federal legislation | 288 | ||
| Conclusion | 290 | ||
| Notes | 291 | ||
| 16. I donated my eggs and I wouldn’t do it again | 292 | ||
| 17. Swedish feminists against surrogacy | 298 | ||
| THE STORY OF THE HAPPY BREEDER | 298 | ||
| Happy families | 299 | ||
| A ‘revolutionary act’ | 300 | ||
| Prostitution | 302 | ||
| A FEMINIST ‘NO’ TO SURROGATE MOTHERHOOD | 304 | ||
| Surrogate motherhood in Sweden | 304 | ||
| Why feminists say ‘no’ to surrogacy | 305 | ||
| There is no such thing as ‘altruistic’ surrogacy | 306 | ||
| Swedes using transnational surrogacy | 307 | ||
| Conclusions | 308 | ||
| References | 308 | ||
| Part Five. Looking Ahead | 311 | ||
| 18. Mapping feminist views on commercial surrogacy | 313 | ||
| Introduction | 313 | ||
| The libertarian approach | 314 | ||
| Reformists | 316 | ||
| Abolitionists | 322 | ||
| Conclusion | 325 | ||
| Notes | 326 | ||
| References | 326 | ||
| 19. Transnational commercial surrogacy in India: to ban or not to ban | 328 | ||
| Surrogacy scandals and surrogacy laws | 329 | ||
| A national prohibitory approach | 332 | ||
| ‘Fairtrade surrogacy’ and the dignity of labour | 336 | ||
| Notes | 340 | ||
| References | 341 | ||
| 20. Governing transnational surrogacy practices: what role can national and international regulation play? | 344 | ||
| Introduction | 344 | ||
| Laws, policies and practices of countries around the world | 345 | ||
| ‘Destination’ countries move to prohibit international and commercial surrogacy | 351 | ||
| International law engaged | 353 | ||
| International human rights and surrogacy | 354 | ||
| What regulatory approach should be taken? | 359 | ||
| Conclusion | 370 | ||
| Notes | 372 | ||
| References | 374 | ||
| About the authors | 376 | ||
| Index | 383 | ||
| Back Cover | Back cover |