Gestational surrogacy. Ethical aspects

Abstract

Gestational surrogacy is the practice that takes place when a woman becomes pregnant with a fetus with which she is not genetically related, and the eggs used to produce it come from a donor or the contracting mother, to whom the baby will be handed over after the birth. The woman acting as surrogate may be contracted commercially and remunerated for her service, or the surrogacy may be altruistic, a circumstance that arises when, generally, a member of the family or friend selflessly volunteers. The ethical debate lies in which should prevail: the hypothetical right of the parents to have a child, the reproductive rights of the woman, or even the good of the child itself. At the heart of the matter is the risk of “objectification” of the gestational mother and the child itself. To resolve this question, we must assess the overall ethical principles of the reproductive process and what it implies for all parties involved, as well as the ethicality of the means used and the end pursued. Instrumentalisation of mother and child invalidates any other reason that may be adduced to positively value gestational surrogacy, from an ethical point of view.