The Israeli feminist group Isha L’Isha has published a harshly critical report on surrogate motherhood.
The Israeli feminist group Isha L’Isha has published a
harshly critical report on surrogate motherhood. Israel was the first country
to legalise surrogacy, in March 1996. But 15 years later, says Isha L’Isha,
“insufficient data have, as yet, been gathered to enable full evaluation of
this innovative social experiment.”

“It is our belief that perceiving pregnancy and
childbirth for another couple or individual solely as a financial business
transaction is inappropriate and unthinkable. The fact that surrogacy is a
complex relationship which might be fertile ground for harm and exploitation
must be recognized, especially when private organizations with financial
interests are allowed to become involved. We believe, that surrogacy in Israel
should be prohibited. In the least, surrogacy must not be allowed to becomes an
accepted, routine procedure, and should provide a solution only in rare, very
extreme cases.”

The report warns that surrogacy could easily become
baby farming:

“Objective utilization of identity-related aspects of
the human body contradicts basic ethical values, and by nature, has high
potential for exploitation and degradation. Surrogacy is an experimental
procedure with great potential for harm, especially if it will become prevalent
and accepted. The distance between heroically presenting a unique human gift to
a childless couple and time spent on a ‘fertility farm,’ which uses human
machines, is not large, and the ability to preserve this distance will diminish
as surrogacy becomes more widespread and routine.” ~ Isha L’Isha, June 1

Israeli feminists slate surrogacy
Jared Yee
Israel
surrogacy

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