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Miranda Chen 96501074
Professor: Michael Cheng
Reading and Composition (II)
2011/03/27
Surrogacy in Taiwan
Surrogacy has raised a great number of fierce debates since the first successful
case of in vitro fertilization (IVF) in Great Britain in 1978. A surrogate mother gives
birth to a baby for a couple who is not able to have babies themselves. It is usually
because a wife is either unable to fertilize or undergo pregnancy under such
circumstance. Through artificial insemination with the sperm of a husband and the
egg of a wife, a surrogate mother is impregnated while she gives up all her parental
rights. In the US and some European countries, it is legal for surrogate mothers to be
paid for her role. Surrogacy hugely involves with each individual’s rights, ethical
issues and the payment of service, so that it is not legalized in most countries all over
the world, neither is Taiwan. However, I am convinced that surrogacy should be
legalized and conducted under strict and proper regulation in Taiwan.
Firstly, surrogacy realizes many infertile couples’ dream to have their biological
children. According to Nobel Prize Website, more than 10% of all couples all over the
globe are infertile. Stressful modern life, environment pollutions, and late marriage all
contribute to sterility. So there are more and more women not able to give birth to
babies. To many of them, it not merely a medical problem but it also causes mental
trauma. In many situations, clinical medicines can only provide limited help for these
frustrated, disappointed, barren people craving for children. Once surrogate mother
pops up, it becomes possible for infertile individuals to have their own offspring. It
cures their longing heart. If surrogacy is not to be legalized in Taiwan, many desperate
couples will try to seek for surrogate mothers overseas, legal or not, and it costs them
a fortune, and much more their effort. As to those who are not able to afford legal
surrogate mothers overseas, they turn to illegal means by threatening other innocent
women to bear their fertilized eggs.
Apart from realizing infertile couple’s dreams to have babies, surrogate mother
do not seem to experience psychology problems as the consequence of surrogacy.
(2003, Jadva et al) According to the research was conducted by researchers at City
University in London, most surrogate mothers among 33 opted to undergo pregnancy
for they wanted to help childless couple. A few opted for reasons such as enjoyment
of pregnancy and fulfillment.
Meanwhile, in my point of view, surrogate mother should be paid because it
requires a lot of work to bear a child for 38 weeks. Surrogate motherhood is not
immoral or anti-moral because it can become commercialized. If commercializing
surrogacy is considered immoral in our capitalized society, then marriage and many
other things are quite commercialized as well as people think a lot about their
partner’s wage, social status, family background and so forth. Why is surrogate
motherhood to blame? Some feminists denounce that surrogacy condemned
commercial surrogacy because it is close to baby selling and exploits women. (Anleu,
1992) Nevertheless, it is not for feminists to define or decide whether surrogate
mothers’ wombs are materialized. Indeed, there are many women who go for
conception only for money. Yet, it is their free will that can make the decision.
Besides, there are women willing to be surrogate mother for altruistic reasons. They
just hope to help. (陳美華, 2003) Apparently, this is the way surrogate mothers fulfill
themselves.
My opponents say it is wrong to legalize surrogate mother mainly because it will
materialize, exploit and commercialize women’s body. Frankly speaking, they never
really put themselves in infertile women’s shoes as they have ignored barren women’s
personal feelings, longing and needs to have their own offspring. For some women,
adopted children cannot make up for the loss and regret of not able to have their own
children. In addition, the desire women have to have their own children is equally the
same for men. If a healthy woman agrees to undergo conception out of her free will,
she is far from being exploited. Payment is the reward to compensate for surrogate
mothers’ loss and work during the period of conception.
Although legalizing surrogate mother will have a huge impact on our society in
Taiwan, it should not be prohibited blindly. To most human beings, producing their
offspring is a natural desire and need. For women not able to give birth to babies
because of biological defects or physical restrictions, surrogacy is their only hope to
fulfill their life. Surrogate mother accounts for the assisted productive market more
and more; banning surrogacy is to bring about more social problems, consume and
waste social resources. As a result, surrogacy should be legitimate if the society is to
maximize every individual’s happiness.
Reference:
Anleu, Sharyn Roach, Flinders University of South Australia, (1992) Surrogacy: For
Love but Not for Money?
Vasanti Jadva1, Clare Murray, Emma Lycett, Fiona MacCallum and Susan Golombok,
Human Reproduction Vol.18, No.10 pp. 2196±2204, (2003) Surrogacy: the
experiences of surrogate mothers.
“The 2010 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine - Press Release". Nobelprize.org.
28 Mar 2011 http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2010/press.html
陳美華, Cultural Studies Monthly, (2003) Retrieved
From http://hermes.hrc.ntu.edu.tw/csa/journal/32/journal_park255.htm