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Too much or not enough? The exploitation dilemma
• One worry about paid surrogacy in general but especially about transnational paid surrogacy is that surrogates are unfairly exploited
• At least part of this complaint, and part of what it means to cite exploitation, is that:
– the benefits they receive (financial or otherwise) are lower than what would be fair; and/or
– the burdens, harms, or risks that they are subjected to are too high (either absolutely or relative to the benefits)
Too much or not enough? The exploitation dilemma
• “The entire surrogacy process in the United States can cost between $40,000 and $150,000. Surrogate mothers receive between $20,000 and $30,000 of this sum. In India the complete medical procedure, surrogate’s fee, airline tickets, and hotel stay for two trips to India costs around $25,000, but prices can go as low as $12,000. Of that total cost, Indian women are paid between $2,000 and $10,000 for their services.”
• Alison Bailey (2011) Reconceiving surrogacy: toward a reproductive justice account of Indian surrogacy, Hypatia, 26,4: 714–741, p.718.
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