For love of a child

Context: Indians are traveling overseas for commercial surrogacy.

Surrogacy in India:

• Commercial surrogacy became legal in India in 2002.
• Legalization lead to a boom due to affordability and economic benefits for women from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
• In response to exploitation, the government made commercial surrogacy illegal for foreigners in 2015 and introduced altruistic surrogacy in 2016.
• Current regulations permit only altruistic gestational surrogacy with eligibility criteria including medical conditions and marital status.
• Restrictions on surrogacy eligibility perpetuate inequality and uphold a patriarchal notion of family, excluding single individuals, LGBTQIA+ couples, and live-in partners

Conclusion:

• Surrogacy laws in India must evolve to accommodate diverse family structures and aspirations.

Source: Indian Express