Mumbai (AsiaNews) – The proposed law which would regulate pregnancies with rented wombs this would be a retrograde step. When you pass a law, legitimizing surrogacy people would think that surrogacy is now permissible and acceptable because it is ‘Legal,” where as surrogacy is totally morally and ethically unacceptable”. This is the comment given to AsiaNews by the neo-cardinal Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Mumbai, regarding the possibility of regulating “third party’ pregnancies being put forward by a group of Indian parliamentarians.
According to the prelate, “though this may not be the intention of minister Chaudhary, it is sending the wrong message and is against the interests of society. This is definitely morally incorrect, human life is sacred and is a unique and profound gift from God. A child must not be born out of the family union. Surrogacy offends the dignity and the right of the child.”
Currently India is the leading destination in “medical tourism”, in particular, for abnormal pregnancies. This is explained by the medical qualities of the big cities, which boast very high standards combined with low costs, but above all the lack of any legislation on the renting of wombs and IVF treatment. Denouncing these anomalies, Health minister Chaudhary has supported the request put forward by a group of parliamentarians, who are seeking legislation on the issue.
“Surrogate mothers” continues Msgr. Gracias, “works, to the detriment of families, creating division between the physical, psychological and moral element which constitute families. Secondly, surrogacy is also ‘Exploitation of Women”, destroying the very personhood of the women involved: both the women who gives birth and the woman who will rear the child. Sadly, those women who are already economically marginalized even more vulnerable to coercion and manipulation by those with greater means”.
According to recent statistics, business in “abnormal” pregnancies amounts to over 450 million dollars, and the number of wombs to rent has doubled in the last three years. Despite this real statistics are far higher, given the massive number of cases of unofficial assisted births which take place in the country.