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

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I agree.

The ethical consideration has to do with the use of human beings and their bodies as mere commodities. The author of the article- to do her justice- has negotiated all that with considerable sensitivity. If everyone is a free agent and no-one is being exploited the ethical objections largely disappear.