The Coercion of Cash

While Indian infertility clinics and most surrogates themselves deny being coerced into the rent-a-womb trade, critics are skeptical.

Editor of Bio-Edge, a website portal that features bio-ethics news, Michael Cook says: “People will do the most degrading things for money and say that they are doing it freely.”

“They will prostitute themselves and sell their kidneys. But would they do this if they had the income that you and I have?”

And the answer does seem to be that they wouldn’t. 33-year-old surrogate Manisha Nuton Macwan who has already borne a child for an Indian couple and who is planning yet another surrogacy in six months time says that she would never let her daughters become surrogates and that she herself would not have become a surrogate if she had the money.

She says: “I am compelled to do this. How else will I earn money for my family and so much money at that!

“Even if I work all my life I will not be able to earn three lakhs (£4300).I am doing this so that I can give my girls a good education, healthy food and everything that they need.”