Surrogacy: A Human Rights Violation

Surrogacy is heavily promoted by the stagnating IVF industry which seeks new markets for women over 40, and gay men who believe they have a ‘right’ to their own children and ‘family foundation’. Pro-surrogacy groups in rich countries such as Australia and Western Europe lobby for the shift to commercial surrogacy. Their capitalist neo-liberal argument is that a well-regulated fertility industry would avoid the exploitative practices of poor countries. Central to the project of transnational surrogacy is the ideology that legalised commercial surrogacy is a legitimate means to provide infertile couples and gay men with children who share all or part of their genes. Women, without whose bodies this project is not possible are reduced to incubators, to ovens, to suitcases. And the ‘product child’ is a tradable commodity who has never consented to being a ‘take away baby’: removed from their birth mother and given to strangers aka ‘intended parents’. Still, those in favour of this practice of reproductive slavery speak of ‘Fair Trade International Surrogacy’ and ‘responsible surrogacy’.

About the Author :
Renate Klein, PhD, was Associate Professor in Womens Studies at Deakin University, Melbourne, until her retirement in 2006, and is the (co)author/(co)editor of 14 books. She is a biologist and social scientist and taught courses on Reproductive Medicine and Feminist Ethics. Since the 1980s, she has conducted critical feminist research into the new and old reproductive technologies including international population control, IVF (fertility drugs), hormonal and immunological contraceptives, surrogacy, RU 486 and Gardasil.

Review :
"Renate Klein is a national treasure. Where's her OA medal for services to women? This new book adds to her impressive list of publications in which she fiercely defends women's safety and bodily integrity." Selena Ewing, October 2017 In a stimulating article at mercatornet.com Selena Ewing discusses Renate Klein's book. Her article's title is 'The suffering of surrogacy: A veteran feminist spells it out'. Selena Ewing is a freelance researcher and writer with 20 years of experience in researching, writing and speaking about public health, bioethics, and womens health.