By: Samuel Notch, Human Biology, Health, and Society '2026
The emergence of life can be seen as a beautiful thing. Watching what begins as a simple cell develop into a walking and breathing person is a priceless experience cherished by many people globally. Despite pregnancy being a seemingly easy or accidental undertaking for some, many struggle for years when trying to start their own family. For certain individuals, infertility hinders the dream of having a child. For non-heterosexual couples, anatomical barriers render pregnancy impossible [1].
To address this issue, the practice of surrogacy was founded hundreds of years ago, originally for women who were unable to bear children for their husbands. Today, surrogate motherhood has evolved into a multimillion-dollar industry, connecting people from all over the world [2]. With changing social norms that have destigmatized non-traditional families, and higher rates of infertility due to changing biological factors, surrogates are in higher demand than ever before [3]. The transformation of this practice into an international business provides an amazing opportunity for hopeful parents, but raises ethical concerns.
Within America, couples often spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for their surrogate. Since this budget is unattainable for many people, an international market has been made, enabling Americans to find surrogates abroad who are willing to have their child in exchange for money. Areas that are particularly targeted by the industry, referred to as “reprohubs,” include countries such as India, Mexico, Thailand, and Ukraine [4]. Reprohubs can be beneficial; bringing surrogacy to a community also introduces the need for pharmaceuticals, new technologies, and healthcare workers. This improves the well-being of everyone within these communities and better connects them to the rest of the world. However, reprohubs are also extremely controversial due to their exploitation of surrogates.
Despite the potential economic and health advantages, the practice of surrogacy frequently takes advantage of women within reprohubs. Women from lower socioeconomic backgrounds often become targeted and coerced into surrogacy arrangements as a means of self-sustenance. They are not provided with sufficient information from American couples to make the fully voluntary choice to enter surrogacy agreements, and thereby lack knowledge of the medical and legal consequences of the contract. This allows the surrogates to be underpaid, leading to vast disparities between the payments that surrogates receive in America relative to developing countries. In India, for example, surrogates receive between $2,000 and $10,000 for their services, compared to $20,000 to $30,000 in America [5]. Though this amount of money is small, it is necessary if a woman desires to leave the reprohub, which causes them to choose surrogate motherhood.
In a small number of cases, working as a surrogate provides women with the financial means to pursue higher education. However, in the majority of cases, surrogates receive minimal amounts of reimbursement to pay off existing debts. They are provided with costs to cover their food, healthcare, and travel for the benefit of the child, but are left with little after the process. International surrogates are thereby influenced to continue with surrogacy, ultimately living in reprohubs in a cycle of poverty.
So, what should be done to prevent this exploitation, while keeping or enhancing the benefits that some reprohubs reap? The answer lies in the way that the market is structured. Currently, the market for surrogates is private, meaning that there are no price ceilings or price floors. Due to the lack of price ceilings, Americans are unable to afford surrogates domestically and defer to foreign reprohubs for surrogates [6]. Additionally, the lack of price floors in reprohubs permits surrogacy companies to underpay women and reinforces traditional societal roles within these regions. Through government regulation and international negotiations to set price ceilings and price floors, reprohubs may be improved to allow women to benefit from working as surrogates by earning fair salaries.
Ultimately, it is important to educate people globally about the issue of surrogacy and to begin straying away from the current private market. While a private market fosters efficiency when trading foods and products, it is different when human lives and reproductive freedoms are at stake. Ensuring that both the surrogate and the parents are treated fairly is necessary so that people can continue benefiting from the astounding scientific advances that have made it possible. This can be done by mandating that staff working abroad have strong communication skills, and maximising the understanding of what surrogacy requires for both sides of the party. By working together with national and international governments to design these regulations, this can be achieved.
References
Bureau, U. C. (n.d.). U.S. Census Bureau Releases CPS Estimates of Same-Sex Households. Census.Gov. Retrieved April 22, 2024, from https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2019/same-sex-households.html
Marsoli, Kristin. “History of Surrogacy: How Surrogacy Has Evolved.” Surrogacy Blog for Surrogates & Intended Parents. (n.d.). Circle Surrogacy. Retrieved April 22, 2024, from https://www.circlesurrogacy.com/blog
ColoCRM. (2022, June 16). Is Infertility on the Rise? CCRM Fertility. https://www.ccrmivf.com/blog/is-infertility-on-the-rise/
König, A., Whittaker, A., Gerrits, T., & Rozée, V. (2022). Shifting surrogacies: Comparative ethnographies. International Journal of Comparative Sociology, 63(5–6), 235–246. https://doi.org/10.1177/00207152221110088
Individual responsibility or trust in the state: A comparison of surrogates’ legal consciousness—Elly Teman, Zsuzsa Berend, 2022. (n.d.). Retrieved April 22, 2024, from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00207152221094252
Wilkinson, S. (2016). Exploitation in International Paid Surrogacy Arrangements. Journal of Applied Philosophy, 33(2), 125–145. https://doi.org/10.1111/japp.12138
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