Delhi now ‘surrogacy capital’ of India

New Delhi (Sanjay Kaw/The Asian Age) : Delhi is fast emerging as a major hub for surrogacy in the country. An in-depth study conducted by the Centre for Social Research has indicated that about 50 clinics in the city are carrying out surrogacy procedures here. Estimates show that each clinic delivers about 250 children through surrogate mothers every year.
“What was once limited to a few cities in the country has spread all over the national capital,” CSR director Ranjana Kumari told this newspaper. “There is no proper law to regulate the billion dollar rent-a-womb industry in the country.”
Dr Kumari said that so far about 40,000 to 45,000 children are reported to have been born through surrogacy in the entire country. A study conducted by the CSR in Anand, Surat and Jamnagar showed that a majority of surrogate mothers belonged to economically-weaker families. The average monthly income of these women was found between Rs 1,000 and Rs 2,000. Most of these women belonged to Jharkhand, Orissa, Bihar and slums of Mumbai.
The study found that surrogacy was being followed in large numbers in several cities, including Bengaluru, Mumbai and Indore. CSR’s head of research and knowledge management department, Dr Manasi Mishra, said rent-a-womb has become a major industry in the state of Gujarat. “Though the couple who wants to have a baby though surrogate mothers end up paying anything between Rs 200,000 and Rs 500,000 to agents, the woman delivers the baby gets only Rs 75,000 to Rs 100,000 and that too at the cost of risking her life during her pregnancy.”
The study revealed that a majority of the surrogate mothers are approached directly by the agents, who do not even provide them with a copy of the surrogacy contract. “Only 1.7 per cent women in Anand and 2.9 per cent in Surat had a copy of the surrogacy contact,” Dr Kumari said.
The “rent-a-womb” procedure has thrown up a major debate whether it should be banned like a majority of the countries have done or should there be a law to regulate it. “Generally, during pregnancy we give importance to women. But when it comes to surrogacy, the child is the focus of the clinics, agents and the would-be-parents,” Dr Mishra said.
A large number of social activists, legislators and government officials are expected to deliberate upon various issues concerning surrogacy motherhood during a two-day conference in September in the national capital. “There have been cases when many countries refused to give citizenship to children who were born through surrogate mothers in India. We need to have a proper legal framework to decide on the rights of the child, surrogate mother and the couple who becomes the custodian of the new born.”
Dr Kumari pointed out the medical centres, who deal in surrogacy procedures, also need to be held accountable in case there is any complication. “Generally only those women who have given birth to two children can go for surrogacy. And once they deliver surrogate baby, the agents force them to go for another similar procedure.”
Quoting the study, Dr Kumari said the average cost of the surrogacy works out about $10,000 to $30,000, which includes the remuneration of the surrogate mothers, IVF costs, food and consumables, fee of lawyers and doctors, delivery cost and antenatal care. “There are many occasions when the surrogate mothers have delivered twins or triplets. But even then they are paid the same amount as they are promised for one baby. And in case of any complication, the pregnancy is terminated without taking her consent,” she added.

Ref:http://www.asianage.com/delhi/delhi-now-surrogacy-capital-india-678