Ahmedabad, February 2:
DIPTIBEN’S bearing her daughter’s children may
have brought the surrogate mother issue into the
limelight now, but the fact remains that the
trend’s not new in Ahmedabad. And with there
being no law laid out in black and white, many
couples in Ahmedabad, who’re unable to conceive,
choose to get a surrogate mother to bear their
child for them.
The brief doctors set out for anyone willing
to be a surrogate mom is clear: married women
from lower middle-class families, physically and
mentally fit and not above 30 years. Stating
that 10 babies are delivered by surrogate
mothers in the city every year, doctors say the
number has been rising in the last five years.
The main criterion here is the money, which is
why women agree to act as surrogate mothers.
The woman selected is paid anything between Rs
75,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh or more, and all medical
expenses and needs are taken care of by the
couple.
While payments are made in instalments, it is
the doctor’s responsibility to ensure that the
surrogate mother receives the amount promised to
her.
‘‘Generally, they are paid over Rs 1.5 lakh
in instalments. The payments are made by us and
we never allow the two parties to communicate,’’
says Dr Himanshu Bavishi of Bhavishi IVF Centre.
What’s the fee charged by the infertility
experts? Anywhere between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 2
lakh. ‘‘Every step in the process is crucial for
us. Before starting, our minds are plagued with
doubts such as what if the couple refuses to
accept the child or if the surrogate mother
denies to give the baby away. It will mean
problems for us,’’ says a doctor.
‘‘Luckily, till now I have not faced any
problem but these doubts always trouble us as
there is no monitoring body. We are awaiting
guidelines from ICMR,’’ says Dr Kanthi Bansal.
After successfully delivering a girl child
for a couple, 28-year-old Saira Begum, a mother
of two, says she opted to be a surrogate mother
as it meant easy money and she didn’t have to
depend on her husband. Saira, a resident of
Juhapura, rent out her womb in 2001. ‘‘I
delivered a healthy baby in 2002 for a couple, I
am not aware of their name and address as the
doctor never introduced us,’’ says Saira, who’s
keen to carry another baby for a childless
couple.
Thirty-year-old Mita Rathore says: ‘‘My
husband lost his right arm in an accident and
that left us in financial problems. I worked as
a house help at a doctor’s residence, who
suggested that I carry a baby for a woman who
could not conceive.’’
Mita conviced her husband, and then entered a
contract with the doctor. What did the contract
say? ‘‘I am ready to bear the risks involved in
the whole process.’’ It also mentioned that
‘‘the woman delivering the child is a host
mother and will give the child to the biological
father after she obtains the pledged amount.’’
However, Mita had a miscarriage in the third
month and she was paid only Rs 15,000 by the
couple.
Doctors dealing with such cases say they have
to act as ‘‘middlemen’’ — tackle both sides and
yet be discreet. ‘‘We conduct all tests to
ensure that the woman is healthy and check her
medical history thoroughly so that there is no
room for doubt,’’ says Dr Kanti Bansal of Safal
Fertility Foundation.
Savita Panchal, a resident of Vasna, admits
that she played surrogate mother for a couple in
need as she wanted money for treatment of her
sister. ‘‘I was in desperate need and was ready
to even donate my kidney when a gynaecologist
suggested that I could do this. That’s when I
did it,’’ Savita says.
Now, Savita also regularly donates ova,
saying ‘‘people have several questions when you
rent out your womb but no one knows if you
donate ova.’’
Dr Manish Banker and Dr Pravin Patel of
Melbourne IVF, Gujarat, suggest that with the
trend picking up and gaining acceptance in the
country, guidelines by Indian Council of Medical
Research (ICMR) on Assisted Reproduction
Technology (ART) that would address all issues
pertaining to surrogate motherhood will make
things easier for doctors, couples and surrogate
mothers. Couples who have been blessed with a
child this way clammed up, despite being
approached through their doctors. ‘‘We never
discuss this issue anywhere, as society doesn’t
accept surrogacy and we don’t want our child to
know about this,’’ said a couple.
