Commercial Surrogacy Defined

Commercial surrogacy is the method in which a couple or individual compensates another woman for her to carry as well as deliver a child. At birth, the child is given to the intended parents, either confidentially or through legal adoption. Couples with fertility troubles, same-sex married couples, as well as single folks that want to be parents are the most types of people who seek surrogate mothers. Some celebrities like, Robert De Niro, Kelsey Grammer, and Sarah Jessica Parker, have actually used surrogacy as recently as 2009.

There is no question that surrogacy has emerged to become the solution for single parents or intended parents who are incapable of having their own child. The term commercial surrogacy has caused quite a stir and has become a subject of political, social and even religious discussions.

Forms of Commercial Surrogacy

There are two forms of surrogacy- traditional and gestational surrogacy. With traditional surrogacy, the mother is related to the child that she is supporting. Gestational surrogacy, on the other hand, is considered to be the most ideal form of surrogacy because the surrogate mother is in no way related to the baby that she is supporting. She just strictly carries and delivers the child for the intended parents.

Luckily in the US there are strict laws that govern commercial surrogacy in some states. The welfare and rights of both surrogates and intended parents are well protected by these laws. In some countries such as India, commercial surrogacy has been misused which resulted to human trafficking. The implementation and regulation of rules on surrogacy were not as widely observed and was used as a money making scheme. For other surrogate mothers, however, this is not the case. A lot of surrogate mothers are real and honest on their intentions in helping intended parents have their own child.

Changing the Perception of Motherhood

The process of surrogacy has altered the way we see and know the meaning of motherhood. The women who give birth to the children are known to be as surrogate mothers, in an attempt to distance them from the “actual” or appointing mothers.

These Surrogate mothers go through not just the physical changes during surrogacy, but also emotional and psychological changes. Surrogate mothers understand the needs of intended parents to have a child of their own, thus accept to withstand these changes for the sake of someone else. Kindness and a sense of humanity are the key factors that have allowed surrogate mothers to give intended parents the gift of life.

In Conclusion

Commercial surrogacy may have gained somewhat a tarnished image to some people. But nevertheless, a lot of intended parents still look to this procedure for the mere fact that they will be able to have their own baby to hold and love. This hunger of intended parents to have their own child is innate in humans. We live to care for others, and in return we have surrogate mothers to give to those that are not able to bear their own child.