One delivered every 48 hours, says doctor
Indian surrogacy is such a big business in Mumbai that one obstetrician there says that she delivers a baby from a surrogate mother for a British couple every 48 hours. Dr Anita Soni, who works at one of Mumbai’s top hospitals, told the Evening Standard: "I deliver babies from Indian women for British couples at the rate of more than 15 a month. For these surrogate mothers that amount of money is life-changing. It helps them set up a home, get their daughters married or something like that. There is absolutely no exploitation of these women. It is really big money. It is a jackpot.

"They go through a little bit of emotional trauma, but then they go back home and they realise they have done it for a good cause. I help more white couples than Indians, who are still sceptical about things. English couples come here much more in numbers."

The news that India’s baby factories are so busy could lead to pressure to change UK law on surrogacy. Chris and Susan Morrison told the Evening Standard that India recognised their new baby as a British subject, but that the UK did not. "I don’t understand why in Britain you can’t enter into a commercial surrogacy arrangement," Mr Morrison said. "The law needs looking at to save people from all the heartache and trouble of having to go to a foreign country. There must be many couples like us having trouble becoming parents who might want to try surrogacy, but find the red tape and hassle too much." ~ Evening Standard, May 20

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Michael Cook

Michael Cook edits BioEdge, a bioethics newsletter, and MercatorNet, an on-line magazine whose focus is human dignity. He writes from Sydney, Australia.

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