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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