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Global justice, capabilities approach and commercial surrogacy in India

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Abstract

Inequalities, ineffective governance, unclear surrogacy regulations and unethical practices make India an ideal environment for global injustice in the process of commercial surrogacy. This article aims to apply the ‘capabilities approach’ to find possibilities of global justice through human fellowship in the context of commercial surrogacy. I draw primarily on my research findings supplemented by other relevant empirical research and documentary films on surrogacy. The paper reveals inequalities and inadequate basic entitlements among surrogate mothers as a consequence of which they are engaged in unjust contracts. Their limited entitlements also limit their opportunities to engage in enriching goals. It is the role of the state to provide all its citizens with basic entitlements and protect their basic human rights. Individuals in India evading their basic duty also contribute to the existing inequalities. Individual responsibilities of the medical practitioners and the intended parents are in question here as they are more inclined towards self-interest rather than commitment towards human fellowship. At the global level, the injustice in transnational commercial surrogacy practices in developing countries calls for an international declaration of women and child rights in third party reproduction with a normative vision of mutual fellowship and human dignity.

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Notes

  1. Surrogate mother may not be an ideal terminology to define the woman who carries a baby to term. The ART Bill uses the word ‘surrogate’ without the word ‘mother’, however I find this terminology insufficient. The discussion on an adequate terminology is a whole new subject and hence I have adopted the terminology they use for themselves ‘surrogate mother’.

  2. This study was conducted by Dr. Sheela Saravanan as a Post Doctoral Researcher at the Karl Jaspers Centre; Cluster of Excellence, Asia and Europe in a Global Context, University of Heidelberg between July 2009 and June 2010.

  3. Giving an example of the Epic Mahabharata, especially in the context of Bhagawat Gita, he notes Krishna (a deontologist) was following the idea of ‘Niti’ while Arjuna (a consequentialist) was presenting ‘Nyaya’, a comprehensive form of a process inclusive broad account. He observes limitations in Krishna’s perspective and puts forward the importance of faring ‘well’ rather than merely ‘forward’.

  4. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1 states, “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood” (UNESCO 2006).

  5. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 2, states, “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status” (UNESCO 2006).

  6. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 9 states, “No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile” (UNESCO 2006).

  7. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 14 states, “Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state”.

  8. The Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights 2005 recognizes that technological advancements in medical science should be ethically sound, giving “due respect to the dignity of the human person and universal respect for, and observance of, human rights and fundamental freedoms” (UNESCO 2006: 3).

  9. Surrogate homes are dormitories where the women are expected to live away from their families during the surrogacy process.

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Acknowledgments

This research study titled ‘Social Construction of Transnational Commercial Surrogacy in India’ by Dr. Sheela Saravanan as a Post Doctoral Researcher at the Cluster of Excellence, Asia and Europe in a Global Context, University of Heidelberg was conducted between July 2009 and June 2010 and was funded by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), German Research Foundation: Germany.

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  1. Sheela Saravanan

    Present address: Department of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine, University Medical Center, Humboldtallee 36, Goettingen, 37073, Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cluster of Excellence, Asia and Europe in a Global Context, Karl Jaspers Centre for Advanced Transcultural Studies, Heidelberg University, Germany

    Sheela Saravanan

  2. Lichtenberg Kolleg, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany

    Sheela Saravanan

  3. Institut für Ethik und Geschichte der Medizin, Universitätsmedizin Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany

    Sheela Saravanan

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  1. Sheela Saravanan
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Correspondence to Sheela Saravanan.

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Saravanan, S. Global justice, capabilities approach and commercial surrogacy in India. Med Health Care and Philos 18, 295–307 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11019-015-9640-y

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