Mother Jones Examines Indian Surrogacy Clinics That Cater To Western Customers

Demand for Indian surrogate's has surged among foreigners seeking a lower-cost, less-regulated alternative to U.S. surrogacy, Mother Jones reports. However, some Indian clinics are attracting scrutiny for cloistering surrogates in small dormitories, a practice the clinics say allows them to better monitor patients' pregnancies and ensure that surrogates have good living conditions.

India legalized surrogacy in 2002. There are at least 350 fertility clinics throughout the country, although it is unclear how many clinics offer surrogacy services because the government does not track the issue. According to Mother Jones, "at minimum, Indian surrogacy services now attract hundreds of Western clients each year."

Mother Jones focuses on the Akanksha Infertility Clinic in Anand, which has facilitated 232 surrogate births since 2004. Surrogacy services at the clinic range from $15,000 to $20,000, compared with $50,000 to $100,000 in the few U.S. states that permit surrogacy. The clinic requires surrogates to live in its dormitories during their entire pregnancies, and surrogates receive $50 monthly up to delivery, which almost always is performed by caesarean section. According to Mother Jones, c-sections "are considered riskier for the baby under normal circumstances and double to triple the woman's risk of death during childbirth," but they are "far faster than vaginal labor -- and some clinics charge clients extra for them."

Surrogates also receive $500 at the end of each trimester, and the balance of the payment upon delivery. In total, women at the Akanksha clinic who deliver receive about $5,000 to $6,000, Mother Jones reports. If a surrogate miscarries, she is allowed to keep the payments she has received up to that point. Under the clinic's contract, a surrogate also is permitted to obtain an abortion, but she must reimburse the clinic and client for all expenses.

Despite the surrogacy industry's growth, it is not officially regulated by the Indian government, and there are no legal standards for the treatment of surrogates. India's Parliament is expected to introduce a bill this year that would address surrogacy concerns, likely granting regulatory responsibility to the states (Carney, Mother Jones, March/April 2010).


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