I do agree with John, however, that there is potential for women to be exploited and used in these situations by greedy people who want to make a buck for themselves. Unfortunately, this happens all the time and the solution may just lie in stricter regulations or creating different incentives other than money for these women such as a safe haven, daily necessities or education. Either way, I think we have to realize that there is potential for unethical behavior and instead of pretending the problem isn’t there, find an appropriate solution that promotes responsible behavior.

Personally, I think people have the right to use their bodies to do whatever they want, as long as they don’t hurt anyone. Naysayers have no right to tell them what they should do or say that they know better. All we can do is educate the women so that they can make their own decisions. The real ethical problem I have with baby outsourcing is that people are trying to foist their own morality on others.

In response to your question about empowering women or exploiting them, I feel that as long as surrogacy is not forced upon any of the women, then it is empowering them. In a country flooded with poverty, mothers must realize opportunities to break the cycle for their families. If being a surrogate mother allows one women to send her children to college and another women to experience the joys of motherhood, then the practice is a blessing for both.

With an increasing amount of surrogate pregnancies in India, should there be more regulation to ensure protection for the surrogates? Yes, it appears that regulation in the surrogate business can’t hurt. The ‘greed-ethic’, not the ‘care ethic,’ prevails in our current model of capitalism. As we have observed in the subprime debacle or the suddenly righteous US health insurance industry, it’s only a matter of time/money before humans lose sight of basic values- like goodwill of their fellow citizens, and begin to imagine all the precious trinkets they may stuff in their pockets. Due to the delicate circumstances of surrogate pregnancies, it only seems appropriate to regulate a potential ‘free-market’ surrogate dealer from getting out of hand. Judging by your article, Dr. Patel would not have any hang-ups with these regulations.

Is it really exploiting Indian women or empowering them? If it continues to grow, is there a chance that it could exploit Indian women? Is this an abuse of power and money, or a way to create a mutually beneficial relationship? The warranted response to all three of your final questions is the same. Exploitation or empowerment rests in the implementation of a proper standard of conduct in the surrogate business. Mutually beneficial outcomes are attainable if the greed ethic does not prevail in the surrogate marketplace.