Surrogacy

[poliphilo]

A childless friend of mine is considering surrogacy. I know what I feel- which is "yeuch"; I'm less sure what I think.  To help me make up my mind my friend sent me this article from The New York Times.  The author has had two kids with two different surrogates, is awfully pleased with the supremely ethical choices she has made- and seems to believe- as rich people so often do- that the people she is paying are smiling at her because they love her. She also descends, towards the end, into nauseating babytalk. The article hasn't changed my feelings. If anything it has hardened them- but I don't like finding myself on the same side as the Pope.  Are my objections atavistic and patriarchal or am I right to trust my gut? 

Comments

[athenais.livejournal.com]

What are your objections, precisely? (I read the same article and was also put off by the woman's overwhelming sense of privilege.) I think surrogacy is as ethical as any artificial creation of babies. Do you feel icky about IVF, for instance?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

That's it- I find it very hard to formulate a rational argument against it. If the surrogates actually enjoy the work- as the two in the article seem to have done- it's very hard to argue that they're being exploited.

My reaction is visceral- and maybe not to be trusted. I don't have problems with IVF- except for a wholly personal squeamishness about medical procedures.