Birthing A Market: A Study on Commercial Surrogacy

Over the past few years, India has seen an explosion of fertility services that promise a cure for the allegedly increasing rates of infertility. Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs), a group of technologies that assist in conception or in the carrying of pregnancy to term, have proliferated unchecked, becoming a veritable ‘fertility industry’. This industry is an integral part of the country’s expanding medical market and medical tourism industry. Within this, surrogacy, particularly commercial surrogacy, the practice of gestating a child for another couple or for an individual through the use of ARTs and in return for remuneration, has drawn much attention and raised several ethical concerns.