The Misogyny of Surrogacy: Disappearing Women as Mothers

In the billion-dollar global surrogacy trade, women are disappeared both as birth mothers and as genetic mothers (egg "donors"). Instead, they are viewed as breeders-gestational carriers, incubators, ovens - and invisibilised as anonymous egg "donors." Conversely, a sperm donor d...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inHecate Vol. 45; no. 1-2; pp. 187 - 310
Main Author Klein, Renate
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published St. Lucia Hecate Press 01.05.2019
Subjects
Abortion
Altruism
Children
Children & youth
Embryos
Family law
Fertility
Government regulation
Infertility
Misogyny
Pregnancy
Pregnant women
Prostitution
Sexual politics
Sperm
Surrogate motherhood
Surrogate mothers
Women
Australia
United States > US
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:In the billion-dollar global surrogacy trade, women are disappeared both as birth mothers and as genetic mothers (egg "donors"). Instead, they are viewed as breeders-gestational carriers, incubators, ovens - and invisibilised as anonymous egg "donors." Conversely, a sperm donor dad is proudly talking about being the "father of my own child." In this article, I address the misogyny of commodifying pregnant women to produce quality-tested "take-away babies" for money or love. As in prostitution, it is the rich who pay and the poor who serve-and lose the child they grew in their own bodies from their own flesh and bones over nine months. They also face potential harm to their short- and long-term health and fertility. Pregnant women lose control over their lives as they have to submit to harmful medications, numerous screenings for any "faults" their future child might have, possibly followed by foetal reduction or abortion. They also have no control over food selection and birth arrangements-all overseen by the patriarchal IVF industry that laughs all the way to the bank. As surrogacy appears to become mainstream, I suggest that we need a "mother revolution" in which women stand up and reclaim pregnancy and birth as life events in which they are fully in charge and refuse to obey a patriarchal medical miracle world. Surrogacy needs to be resisted by reducing demand. Stop surrogacy now.
ISSN:0311-4198
1839-4213