Surrogacy abroad

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So you want to travel to some poor country and pay an impoverished woman to get pregnant and carry your child? That seems ethical to you?

Bet you pay impoverished women to produce your adorbz housewares and clothing all the time. Hypocrite.

You think producing clothing is the same effect on a body as carrying a child? Are you a man or something? No way a woman would compare these two.

No, I'm not a man, and I've given birth.

But you're a hypocrite if you think that making money with your special sacred womb-chalice should be in a different category than people (men and women) wrecking their bodies performing punishing, unprotected manual labor, which is exactly what happens every single so that y'all can have your cute holiday decor and other consumer goods.

I'll never forget an article I read years ago about Indian surrogacy. The woman interviewed had literally been breaking rocks for a living before then. When asked if she felt exploited by surrogacy, she laughed politely and said "no, when I was breaking rocks for little money, that was being exploited".

But then I also think that sex work should be legal, safe, and well-paid, so I doubt we'll agree on this one.

I too agree that sex work is work. But how do you value pregnancy and childbirth? Who decides? When people like OP "cant afford" to pay the rate here, they go elsewhere, looking for someone - anyone- who will accept what they want to pay. They dont want to pay to support these women or make the industry better, they want to pay as little as possible for someone else to put their life on the line for them to get a bio baby. It's not quite the same (to me). I'm not saying outlaw it, but I am saying there are issues people are choosing to ignore that are exploitative and harmful just to get some of their DNA in a mini-me.

You value it as physical work that can imperil someone's health, that is full-time, that requires a great amount of commitment, and that can be unpredictable in its difficulty.

That describes other jobs that don't involve wombs, as well. A special preciousness about wombs (as opposed to other muscles) is, I think, worth questioning.

DP. Whataboutism is a logical fallacy. Some factory workers are exploited, therefore surrogacy is okay isn't a logical argument. "A special preciousness about wombs" absurdly minimizes the ways women have been exploited and controlled via their bodies throughout human history. When you are legally entitled to the contents of a woman's body, and she has been entirely stripped of any legal entitlement, questions of personal agency arise. Also, producing a baby as the result of a commercial arrangement begs the question of whether humans should be produced, bought, or sold as commodities, and what other repercussions this might have.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So you want to travel to some poor country and pay an impoverished woman to get pregnant and carry your child? That seems ethical to you?

Bet you pay impoverished women to produce your adorbz housewares and clothing all the time. Hypocrite.

You think producing clothing is the same effect on a body as carrying a child? Are you a man or something? No way a woman would compare these two.

Speak for yourself. I’m a woman and I’d much rather get well paid for being pregnant again than work for less than minimum wage in a factory.

How do we determine what is well paid to carry a pregnancy and birth a child?

OP is trying to cut corners and pay as little as possible by going to a poor country. How much is a bio child worth?

A biological child is priceless to me. I am thankful that fertility was a nonissue for me, but I know I would never adopt. DH has an adopted sister who has been nothing but a heartache for his family. She was adopted as a baby. She was treated with love and kindness, but became a nightmare in high school and it has never stopped. She is mentally ill, most likely inherited, and has repeated problems with drug abuse and the law and with running away. My in laws have done everything imaginable for her, but it’s useless. Sure, this can happen with a biological child, but it’s different when it does. My in laws feel burdened in a way that wouldn’t with a biological child.

OP isn’t trying to cut corners as you say. She says she has around $50,000 to $70,000 to spend on a surrogate. She is seeking to find one in a country where that is a lot more money than $200,000 is in the US. Do you know what kind of a difference $20,000, let alone $50,000 would make to a poor woman in India. It’s a shame this was outlawed there. The rich people in that country really do not care about the poor ones and will do anything to keep them down, under the guise of “protecting” them.

Do not pay attention to these trolls, OP! Good luck to you!!!

Youre probably (precisely) right that the rich in those countries dont care about the poor, and especially the poor women. But purposely seeking out a poor country to leverage your $ against someone elses body is gross. I don't love the idea of going to a poor country and waving your money around, looking to exploit someone. Basically buying a slave for 10 months (at least). Going to a poor country also means its more likely that the surrogate has less protections, may not be aware of any legal issues, etc. Much easier to take advantage of a poor impoverished woman from a developing nation rather than pay an appropriate market price for her body. Whatever that price is supposed to be.

[Anonymous]

This isnt just an infertility issue, which many try to mold it to be. It's a massive human rights issue too. Many posters seem to want to bury their heads in the sand over this, like their some kind of white savior to the poor foreign women they are paying...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This isnt just an infertility issue, which many try to mold it to be. It's a massive human rights issue too. Many posters seem to want to bury their heads in the sand over this, like their some kind of white savior to the poor foreign women they are paying...

No, you’re the one who is trying to be a White Savior here. How arrogant of you to insist that these potential surrogates are incapable of making informed decisions for themselves and their families. Of course, they need you to swoop in and protect them from themselves and their ignorance and naïveté. They can’t possibly think for themselves. They’re too poor and dumb. Hello White Savior!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This isnt just an infertility issue, which many try to mold it to be. It's a massive human rights issue too. Many posters seem to want to bury their heads in the sand over this, like their some kind of white savior to the poor foreign women they are paying...

And who's the one here telling "poor foreign" (mostly non-white) women what they are and aren't allowed to do with their bodies? Not OP. Take your paternalistic pearl-clutching and shove it. Even "poor foreign" women can make their own choices.

Manju, 29, a domestic helper in Delhi who asked that her full name not be used, said she had thought about surrogacy ever since her sister-in-law gave birth to a surrogate baby two years ago...“It’s good money,” she said. “Risks? What risks? Any fool can have a baby, it takes a smart woman to get paid for it.”

Manju would laugh in your face, you white-savior, you.

[Anonymous]

So youre literally saying you have no issue with the human rights side of this? Of using women like cattle and buying their babies?

I mean, at least admit there are some issues here. Going all in on "lets buy dollies of our DNA" is such a bizarre take.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So you want to travel to some poor country and pay an impoverished woman to get pregnant and carry your child? That seems ethical to you?

Bet you pay impoverished women to produce your adorbz housewares and clothing all the time. Hypocrite.

You think producing clothing is the same effect on a body as carrying a child? Are you a man or something? No way a woman would compare these two.

Speak for yourself. I’m a woman and I’d much rather get well paid for being pregnant again than work for less than minimum wage in a factory.

How do we determine what is well paid to carry a pregnancy and birth a child?

OP is trying to cut corners and pay as little as possible by going to a poor country. How much is a bio child worth?

A biological child is priceless to me. I am thankful that fertility was a nonissue for me, but I know I would never adopt. DH has an adopted sister who has been nothing but a heartache for his family. She was adopted as a baby. She was treated with love and kindness, but became a nightmare in high school and it has never stopped. She is mentally ill, most likely inherited, and has repeated problems with drug abuse and the law and with running away. My in laws have done everything imaginable for her, but it’s useless. Sure, this can happen with a biological child, but it’s different when it does. My in laws feel burdened in a way that wouldn’t with a biological child.

OP isn’t trying to cut corners as you say. She says she has around $50,000 to $70,000 to spend on a surrogate. She is seeking to find one in a country where that is a lot more money than $200,000 is in the US. Do you know what kind of a difference $20,000, let alone $50,000 would make to a poor woman in India. It’s a shame this was outlawed there. The rich people in that country really do not care about the poor ones and will do anything to keep them down, under the guise of “protecting” them.

Do not pay attention to these trolls, OP! Good luck to you!!!

Youre probably (precisely) right that the rich in those countries dont care about the poor, and especially the poor women. But purposely seeking out a poor country to leverage your $ against someone elses body is gross. I don't love the idea of going to a poor country and waving your money around, looking to exploit someone. Basically buying a slave for 10 months (at least). Going to a poor country also means its more likely that the surrogate has less protections, may not be aware of any legal issues, etc. Much easier to take advantage of a poor impoverished woman from a developing nation rather than pay an appropriate market price for her body. Whatever that price is supposed to be.

A surrogate isn’t a slave. It’s offensive for you to equate the two. It’s not like anyone is kidnapped and forced to carry other people’s kids. It’s a CHOICE for the surrogates. No one is waving money around. OP doesn’t have $200,000. She has half that. That’s a lot of money for someone in most countries outside of the US, Canada, Israel, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. It actually comes out to much more money for the surrogate.

Why are you deciding for other women how they can make money? I, for one, loved being pregnant. I would happily do it for money, especially if I needed some, but I’m in my late 40s and think that I’d be pushing it at this stage. I wouldn’t consider it selling my body. I’d consider it helping someone out and getting paid for it as a huge bonus.

Why is your opinion the only one that counts? Are you imagining yourself as Judge Judy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So you want to travel to some poor country and pay an impoverished woman to get pregnant and carry your child? That seems ethical to you?

Bet you pay impoverished women to produce your adorbz housewares and clothing all the time. Hypocrite.

You think producing clothing is the same effect on a body as carrying a child? Are you a man or something? No way a woman would compare these two.

Speak for yourself. I’m a woman and I’d much rather get well paid for being pregnant again than work for less than minimum wage in a factory.

How do we determine what is well paid to carry a pregnancy and birth a child?

OP is trying to cut corners and pay as little as possible by going to a poor country. How much is a bio child worth?

A biological child is priceless to me. I am thankful that fertility was a nonissue for me, but I know I would never adopt. DH has an adopted sister who has been nothing but a heartache for his family. She was adopted as a baby. She was treated with love and kindness, but became a nightmare in high school and it has never stopped. She is mentally ill, most likely inherited, and has repeated problems with drug abuse and the law and with running away. My in laws have done everything imaginable for her, but it’s useless. Sure, this can happen with a biological child, but it’s different when it does. My in laws feel burdened in a way that wouldn’t with a biological child.

OP isn’t trying to cut corners as you say. She says she has around $50,000 to $70,000 to spend on a surrogate. She is seeking to find one in a country where that is a lot more money than $200,000 is in the US. Do you know what kind of a difference $20,000, let alone $50,000 would make to a poor woman in India. It’s a shame this was outlawed there. The rich people in that country really do not care about the poor ones and will do anything to keep them down, under the guise of “protecting” them.

Do not pay attention to these trolls, OP! Good luck to you!!!

Youre probably (precisely) right that the rich in those countries dont care about the poor, and especially the poor women. But purposely seeking out a poor country to leverage your $ against someone elses body is gross. I don't love the idea of going to a poor country and waving your money around, looking to exploit someone. Basically buying a slave for 10 months (at least). Going to a poor country also means its more likely that the surrogate has less protections, may not be aware of any legal issues, etc. Much easier to take advantage of a poor impoverished woman from a developing nation rather than pay an appropriate market price for her body. Whatever that price is supposed to be.

A surrogate isn’t a slave. It’s offensive for you to equate the two. It’s not like anyone is kidnapped and forced to carry other people’s kids. It’s a CHOICE for the surrogates. No one is waving money around. OP doesn’t have $200,000. She has half that. That’s a lot of money for someone in most countries outside of the US, Canada, Israel, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. It actually comes out to much more money for the surrogate.

Why are you deciding for other women how they can make money? I, for one, loved being pregnant. I would happily do it for money, especially if I needed some, but I’m in my late 40s and think that I’d be pushing it at this stage. I wouldn’t consider it selling my body. I’d consider it helping someone out and getting paid for it as a huge bonus.

Why is your opinion the only one that counts? Are you imagining yourself as Judge Judy?

OP only has 1/4 of what the rate of surrogacy is in the US. Are women in other countries worth 25% of you? Is that how you justify treating women like cattle and then buying their babies?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So you want to travel to some poor country and pay an impoverished woman to get pregnant and carry your child? That seems ethical to you?

Bet you pay impoverished women to produce your adorbz housewares and clothing all the time. Hypocrite.

You think producing clothing is the same effect on a body as carrying a child? Are you a man or something? No way a woman would compare these two.

Speak for yourself. I’m a woman and I’d much rather get well paid for being pregnant again than work for less than minimum wage in a factory.

How do we determine what is well paid to carry a pregnancy and birth a child?

OP is trying to cut corners and pay as little as possible by going to a poor country. How much is a bio child worth?

A biological child is priceless to me. I am thankful that fertility was a nonissue for me, but I know I would never adopt. DH has an adopted sister who has been nothing but a heartache for his family. She was adopted as a baby. She was treated with love and kindness, but became a nightmare in high school and it has never stopped. She is mentally ill, most likely inherited, and has repeated problems with drug abuse and the law and with running away. My in laws have done everything imaginable for her, but it’s useless. Sure, this can happen with a biological child, but it’s different when it does. My in laws feel burdened in a way that wouldn’t with a biological child.

OP isn’t trying to cut corners as you say. She says she has around $50,000 to $70,000 to spend on a surrogate. She is seeking to find one in a country where that is a lot more money than $200,000 is in the US. Do you know what kind of a difference $20,000, let alone $50,000 would make to a poor woman in India. It’s a shame this was outlawed there. The rich people in that country really do not care about the poor ones and will do anything to keep them down, under the guise of “protecting” them.

Do not pay attention to these trolls, OP! Good luck to you!!!

Youre probably (precisely) right that the rich in those countries dont care about the poor, and especially the poor women. But purposely seeking out a poor country to leverage your $ against someone elses body is gross. I don't love the idea of going to a poor country and waving your money around, looking to exploit someone. Basically buying a slave for 10 months (at least). Going to a poor country also means its more likely that the surrogate has less protections, may not be aware of any legal issues, etc. Much easier to take advantage of a poor impoverished woman from a developing nation rather than pay an appropriate market price for her body. Whatever that price is supposed to be.

A surrogate isn’t a slave. It’s offensive for you to equate the two. It’s not like anyone is kidnapped and forced to carry other people’s kids. It’s a CHOICE for the surrogates. No one is waving money around. OP doesn’t have $200,000. She has half that. That’s a lot of money for someone in most countries outside of the US, Canada, Israel, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. It actually comes out to much more money for the surrogate.

Why are you deciding for other women how they can make money? I, for one, loved being pregnant. I would happily do it for money, especially if I needed some, but I’m in my late 40s and think that I’d be pushing it at this stage. I wouldn’t consider it selling my body. I’d consider it helping someone out and getting paid for it as a huge bonus.

Why is your opinion the only one that counts? Are you imagining yourself as Judge Judy?

OP only has 1/4 of what the rate of surrogacy is in the US. Are women in other countries worth 25% of you? Is that how you justify treating women like cattle and then buying their babies?

Most companies with an extensive remote workforce have a pay differential depending on location. Is a worker in Boise worth 60% of a worker in San Mateo? OMG HOW OFFENSIVE WHY IS FACEBOOK TREATING IOWANS LIKE CATTLE

You act like you've never heard of the concept that fair market rates differ depending on location.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s essentially the same as men who go overseas for wives and girlfriends. Using your relative wealth compared to poorer countries in order to gain access to female bodies that you can’t have at home.

+1

Why can't people adopt?

How many have you adopted?

Can you only speak to this issue if you've adopted a child? Just like you can only speak to labor unions if you've worked in a factory or can only discuss war if you've served in the military?

Or can we not have a discussion about exploiting women and babies for profit without you having to qualify everyones opinion first?

It’s always easy to preach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s essentially the same as men who go overseas for wives and girlfriends. Using your relative wealth compared to poorer countries in order to gain access to female bodies that you can’t have at home.

+1

Why can't people adopt?

How many have you adopted?

I have an adopted child. You?

I have a child who was carried by a wonderful GC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s essentially the same as men who go overseas for wives and girlfriends. Using your relative wealth compared to poorer countries in order to gain access to female bodies that you can’t have at home.

+1

Why can't people adopt?

How many have you adopted?

I have an adopted child. You?

I have a child who was carried by a wonderful GC.

No one asked and no one cares.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So you want to travel to some poor country and pay an impoverished woman to get pregnant and carry your child? That seems ethical to you?

Bet you pay impoverished women to produce your adorbz housewares and clothing all the time. Hypocrite.

You think producing clothing is the same effect on a body as carrying a child? Are you a man or something? No way a woman would compare these two.

Speak for yourself. I’m a woman and I’d much rather get well paid for being pregnant again than work for less than minimum wage in a factory.

How do we determine what is well paid to carry a pregnancy and birth a child?

OP is trying to cut corners and pay as little as possible by going to a poor country. How much is a bio child worth?

A biological child is priceless to me. I am thankful that fertility was a nonissue for me, but I know I would never adopt. DH has an adopted sister who has been nothing but a heartache for his family. She was adopted as a baby. She was treated with love and kindness, but became a nightmare in high school and it has never stopped. She is mentally ill, most likely inherited, and has repeated problems with drug abuse and the law and with running away. My in laws have done everything imaginable for her, but it’s useless. Sure, this can happen with a biological child, but it’s different when it does. My in laws feel burdened in a way that wouldn’t with a biological child.

OP isn’t trying to cut corners as you say. She says she has around $50,000 to $70,000 to spend on a surrogate. She is seeking to find one in a country where that is a lot more money than $200,000 is in the US. Do you know what kind of a difference $20,000, let alone $50,000 would make to a poor woman in India. It’s a shame this was outlawed there. The rich people in that country really do not care about the poor ones and will do anything to keep them down, under the guise of “protecting” them.

Do not pay attention to these trolls, OP! Good luck to you!!!

Youre probably (precisely) right that the rich in those countries dont care about the poor, and especially the poor women. But purposely seeking out a poor country to leverage your $ against someone elses body is gross. I don't love the idea of going to a poor country and waving your money around, looking to exploit someone. Basically buying a slave for 10 months (at least). Going to a poor country also means its more likely that the surrogate has less protections, may not be aware of any legal issues, etc. Much easier to take advantage of a poor impoverished woman from a developing nation rather than pay an appropriate market price for her body. Whatever that price is supposed to be.

A surrogate isn’t a slave. It’s offensive for you to equate the two. It’s not like anyone is kidnapped and forced to carry other people’s kids. It’s a CHOICE for the surrogates. No one is waving money around. OP doesn’t have $200,000. She has half that. That’s a lot of money for someone in most countries outside of the US, Canada, Israel, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. It actually comes out to much more money for the surrogate.

Why are you deciding for other women how they can make money? I, for one, loved being pregnant. I would happily do it for money, especially if I needed some, but I’m in my late 40s and think that I’d be pushing it at this stage. I wouldn’t consider it selling my body. I’d consider it helping someone out and getting paid for it as a huge bonus.

Why is your opinion the only one that counts? Are you imagining yourself as Judge Judy?

NP. Many women have been forced and coerced into surrogacy. I watched a documentary about surrogates in India, and one man decided that his wife was going to be a surrogate to supplement his income. She was forced to stay away from her own child for the duration of her pregnancy and live in a baby mill. When she gave birth, she was treated as subhuman by the doctors, who showed complete disregard for her. After the birth, her husband was so thrilled with the money that he decided to make her do it again. Luckily commercial surrogacy is illegal there now, but this clearly illustrates the ways in which surrogacy can be used to exploit women. Also, the average US surrogate isn't making anywhere near $100k. To put it charitably, you sound incredibly naive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So you want to travel to some poor country and pay an impoverished woman to get pregnant and carry your child? That seems ethical to you?

Bet you pay impoverished women to produce your adorbz housewares and clothing all the time. Hypocrite.

You think producing clothing is the same effect on a body as carrying a child? Are you a man or something? No way a woman would compare these two.

Speak for yourself. I’m a woman and I’d much rather get well paid for being pregnant again than work for less than minimum wage in a factory.

How do we determine what is well paid to carry a pregnancy and birth a child?

OP is trying to cut corners and pay as little as possible by going to a poor country. How much is a bio child worth?

A biological child is priceless to me. I am thankful that fertility was a nonissue for me, but I know I would never adopt. DH has an adopted sister who has been nothing but a heartache for his family. She was adopted as a baby. She was treated with love and kindness, but became a nightmare in high school and it has never stopped. She is mentally ill, most likely inherited, and has repeated problems with drug abuse and the law and with running away. My in laws have done everything imaginable for her, but it’s useless. Sure, this can happen with a biological child, but it’s different when it does. My in laws feel burdened in a way that wouldn’t with a biological child.

OP isn’t trying to cut corners as you say. She says she has around $50,000 to $70,000 to spend on a surrogate. She is seeking to find one in a country where that is a lot more money than $200,000 is in the US. Do you know what kind of a difference $20,000, let alone $50,000 would make to a poor woman in India. It’s a shame this was outlawed there. The rich people in that country really do not care about the poor ones and will do anything to keep them down, under the guise of “protecting” them.

Do not pay attention to these trolls, OP! Good luck to you!!!

Youre probably (precisely) right that the rich in those countries dont care about the poor, and especially the poor women. But purposely seeking out a poor country to leverage your $ against someone elses body is gross. I don't love the idea of going to a poor country and waving your money around, looking to exploit someone. Basically buying a slave for 10 months (at least). Going to a poor country also means its more likely that the surrogate has less protections, may not be aware of any legal issues, etc. Much easier to take advantage of a poor impoverished woman from a developing nation rather than pay an appropriate market price for her body. Whatever that price is supposed to be.

A surrogate isn’t a slave. It’s offensive for you to equate the two. It’s not like anyone is kidnapped and forced to carry other people’s kids. It’s a CHOICE for the surrogates. No one is waving money around. OP doesn’t have $200,000. She has half that. That’s a lot of money for someone in most countries outside of the US, Canada, Israel, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. It actually comes out to much more money for the surrogate.

Why are you deciding for other women how they can make money? I, for one, loved being pregnant. I would happily do it for money, especially if I needed some, but I’m in my late 40s and think that I’d be pushing it at this stage. I wouldn’t consider it selling my body. I’d consider it helping someone out and getting paid for it as a huge bonus.

Why is your opinion the only one that counts? Are you imagining yourself as Judge Judy?

OP only has 1/4 of what the rate of surrogacy is in the US. Are women in other countries worth 25% of you? Is that how you justify treating women like cattle and then buying their babies?

No one is talking about the worth of these women. We are talking about their cost of living. The coat of living anywhere in the USA is much higher than anywhere in India. It’s a lot more an 1/4 difference.

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_countries_result.jsp?country1=India&country2=United+States

Can you just stop? You sound so stupid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So you want to travel to some poor country and pay an impoverished woman to get pregnant and carry your child? That seems ethical to you?

Bet you pay impoverished women to produce your adorbz housewares and clothing all the time. Hypocrite.

You think producing clothing is the same effect on a body as carrying a child? Are you a man or something? No way a woman would compare these two.

Speak for yourself. I’m a woman and I’d much rather get well paid for being pregnant again than work for less than minimum wage in a factory.

How do we determine what is well paid to carry a pregnancy and birth a child?

OP is trying to cut corners and pay as little as possible by going to a poor country. How much is a bio child worth?

A biological child is priceless to me. I am thankful that fertility was a nonissue for me, but I know I would never adopt. DH has an adopted sister who has been nothing but a heartache for his family. She was adopted as a baby. She was treated with love and kindness, but became a nightmare in high school and it has never stopped. She is mentally ill, most likely inherited, and has repeated problems with drug abuse and the law and with running away. My in laws have done everything imaginable for her, but it’s useless. Sure, this can happen with a biological child, but it’s different when it does. My in laws feel burdened in a way that wouldn’t with a biological child.

OP isn’t trying to cut corners as you say. She says she has around $50,000 to $70,000 to spend on a surrogate. She is seeking to find one in a country where that is a lot more money than $200,000 is in the US. Do you know what kind of a difference $20,000, let alone $50,000 would make to a poor woman in India. It’s a shame this was outlawed there. The rich people in that country really do not care about the poor ones and will do anything to keep them down, under the guise of “protecting” them.

Do not pay attention to these trolls, OP! Good luck to you!!!

Youre probably (precisely) right that the rich in those countries dont care about the poor, and especially the poor women. But purposely seeking out a poor country to leverage your $ against someone elses body is gross. I don't love the idea of going to a poor country and waving your money around, looking to exploit someone. Basically buying a slave for 10 months (at least). Going to a poor country also means its more likely that the surrogate has less protections, may not be aware of any legal issues, etc. Much easier to take advantage of a poor impoverished woman from a developing nation rather than pay an appropriate market price for her body. Whatever that price is supposed to be.

A surrogate isn’t a slave. It’s offensive for you to equate the two. It’s not like anyone is kidnapped and forced to carry other people’s kids. It’s a CHOICE for the surrogates. No one is waving money around. OP doesn’t have $200,000. She has half that. That’s a lot of money for someone in most countries outside of the US, Canada, Israel, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. It actually comes out to much more money for the surrogate.

Why are you deciding for other women how they can make money? I, for one, loved being pregnant. I would happily do it for money, especially if I needed some, but I’m in my late 40s and think that I’d be pushing it at this stage. I wouldn’t consider it selling my body. I’d consider it helping someone out and getting paid for it as a huge bonus.

Why is your opinion the only one that counts? Are you imagining yourself as Judge Judy?

NP. Many women have been forced and coerced into surrogacy. I watched a documentary about surrogates in India, and one man decided that his wife was going to be a surrogate to supplement his income. She was forced to stay away from her own child for the duration of her pregnancy and live in a baby mill. When she gave birth, she was treated as subhuman by the doctors, who showed complete disregard for her. After the birth, her husband was so thrilled with the money that he decided to make her do it again. Luckily commercial surrogacy is illegal there now, but this clearly illustrates the ways in which surrogacy can be used to exploit women. Also, the average US surrogate isn't making anywhere near $100k. To put it charitably, you sound incredibly naive.

Why don’t you watch a documentary of how women are generally treated in India? They drown out their baby daughters and burn rape victims to death, too. Do you think this guy was an otherwise upstanding husband?

For some of these women, surrogacy opens a million doors and a lot of freedom. To put it charitably, you sound incredibly naive.