Surrogacy in India

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand all the reasons that people would explore this as an option, but I personally cannot get past the extremely colonialist mindset that says it's perfectly okay for a wealthy Western to go to a developing country and pay 1/3 the American price tag for a poor woman to carry a child for them. I also cannot get past the obvious and very real issues with the way that many parts of Indian culture treat women and girls. I would never be able to be 100% sure that the surrogate was not being coerced in some fashion.

I know that the same sort of economic coercion happens in the US and that surrogacy and adoption are by and large a luxury industry that people do not engage with unless they have the resources to do so. But given the colonial history of India and the gender issues that are pervasive in Indian society, I would personally not be comfortable with it and would have a hard time respecting friends of mine who chose that route, but that's a result of my personal politics and I don't know anyone personally who has chosen an Indian surrogate, so it's largely theoretical for me.

I'm the PP who posted the info a about clinics. We felt the same way, so are doing a GC here in the YS. Our funds are limited and it may mean that we don't get our baby, but we just weren't comfortable with the India option. It's impossible to know if the women are being coerced or not, and the agencies we talked to don't allow any contact between you and the surrogate. That was a major red flag to me.

The agency my friends worked with not only allowed it, they encourage it. They met regularly during the pregnancy and my friend's Indian parents would visit her frequently, and vice-versa. A year later, they celebrate holidays together. They have sort of become relatives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm the poster that painted a very clear cultural picture earlier.

To add to the picture - how often do you think rich Indians give to charity? Would you be shocked to know that the answer is virtually none? How about people who volunteer in their community? Or something as simple as don't throw trash on the street?

Civic pride, giving back, charity are all western ideals. Christian ideals, in fact. There is no basis in eastern culture for these values. Even with western influences (which some modern Indians interpret simply as western women are loose and sleep around), they don't think like us. The world is not one giant America.

I assure all of the skeptics on this thread that economic coercion is real, but the women likely won't see a cent of that money. Their husbands will probably use it to drink and do drugs (if we're talking about the kind of women in a desperate enough situation to not just sell their body, but sell their womb).

Wow. Just. Wow.

What you don't know is a lot.

Look, you are the poster of few words that has contributed absolutely nothing to this thread. Go to India, live there for a while and come back and tell us what you have found.

Actually, I'm the only person on here providing accurate information and opinions not based on blanket supposition and bias.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand all the reasons that people would explore this as an option, but I personally cannot get past the extremely colonialist mindset that says it's perfectly okay for a wealthy Western to go to a developing country and pay 1/3 the American price tag for a poor woman to carry a child for them. I also cannot get past the obvious and very real issues with the way that many parts of Indian culture treat women and girls. I would never be able to be 100% sure that the surrogate was not being coerced in some fashion.

I know that the same sort of economic coercion happens in the US and that surrogacy and adoption are by and large a luxury industry that people do not engage with unless they have the resources to do so. But given the colonial history of India and the gender issues that are pervasive in Indian society, I would personally not be comfortable with it and would have a hard time respecting friends of mine who chose that route, but that's a result of my personal politics and I don't know anyone personally who has chosen an Indian surrogate, so it's largely theoretical for me.

I'm the PP who posted the info a about clinics. We felt the same way, so are doing a GC here in the YS. Our funds are limited and it may mean that we don't get our baby, but we just weren't comfortable with the India option. It's impossible to know if the women are being coerced or not, and the agencies we talked to don't allow any contact between you and the surrogate. That was a major red flag to me.

The agency my friends worked with not only allowed it, they encourage it. They met regularly during the pregnancy and my friend's Indian parents would visit her frequently, and vice-versa. A year later, they celebrate holidays together. They have sort of become relatives.

Pp here. That's great to hear! I'm genuinely glad it worked out for them. Do you have the agency name? I'm not interested for my family, we're thoroughly invested in our current process, but it would be nice to have the info here for future searches.

[Anonymous]

If someone is actually going to engage in surrogacy in India they need to understand reality and not the dog and pony show you see from the agencies. It's not just this industry either. Fraud & bribery is pretty widespread in computers, pharmaceuticals, etc. But when we're talking about a person's body or organs it's not just a business ripping off an investor or consumer. It's a person being taken advantage of and possibly hurt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand all the reasons that people would explore this as an option, but I personally cannot get past the extremely colonialist mindset that says it's perfectly okay for a wealthy Western to go to a developing country and pay 1/3 the American price tag for a poor woman to carry a child for them. I also cannot get past the obvious and very real issues with the way that many parts of Indian culture treat women and girls. I would never be able to be 100% sure that the surrogate was not being coerced in some fashion.

I know that the same sort of economic coercion happens in the US and that surrogacy and adoption are by and large a luxury industry that people do not engage with unless they have the resources to do so. But given the colonial history of India and the gender issues that are pervasive in Indian society, I would personally not be comfortable with it and would have a hard time respecting friends of mine who chose that route, but that's a result of my personal politics and I don't know anyone personally who has chosen an Indian surrogate, so it's largely theoretical for me.

I'm the PP who posted the info a about clinics. We felt the same way, so are doing a GC here in the YS. Our funds are limited and it may mean that we don't get our baby, but we just weren't comfortable with the India option. It's impossible to know if the women are being coerced or not, and the agencies we talked to don't allow any contact between you and the surrogate. That was a major red flag to me.

The agency my friends worked with not only allowed it, they encourage it. They met regularly during the pregnancy and my friend's Indian parents would visit her frequently, and vice-versa. A year later, they celebrate holidays together. They have sort of become relatives.

Pp here. That's great to hear! I'm genuinely glad it worked out for them. Do you have the agency name? I'm not interested for my family, we're thoroughly invested in our current process, but it would be nice to have the info here for future searches.

I do have a name but I'm hesitant to give it for fear of identifying my friend. I don't feel that's my right to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand all the reasons that people would explore this as an option, but I personally cannot get past the extremely colonialist mindset that says it's perfectly okay for a wealthy Western to go to a developing country and pay 1/3 the American price tag for a poor woman to carry a child for them. I also cannot get past the obvious and very real issues with the way that many parts of Indian culture treat women and girls. I would never be able to be 100% sure that the surrogate was not being coerced in some fashion.

I know that the same sort of economic coercion happens in the US and that surrogacy and adoption are by and large a luxury industry that people do not engage with unless they have the resources to do so. But given the colonial history of India and the gender issues that are pervasive in Indian society, I would personally not be comfortable with it and would have a hard time respecting friends of mine who chose that route, but that's a result of my personal politics and I don't know anyone personally who has chosen an Indian surrogate, so it's largely theoretical for me.

I'm the PP who posted the info a about clinics. We felt the same way, so are doing a GC here in the YS. Our funds are limited and it may mean that we don't get our baby, but we just weren't comfortable with the India option. It's impossible to know if the women are being coerced or not, and the agencies we talked to don't allow any contact between you and the surrogate. That was a major red flag to me.

The agency my friends worked with not only allowed it, they encourage it. They met regularly during the pregnancy and my friend's Indian parents would visit her frequently, and vice-versa. A year later, they celebrate holidays together. They have sort of become relatives.

Pp here. That's great to hear! I'm genuinely glad it worked out for them. Do you have the agency name? I'm not interested for my family, we're thoroughly invested in our current process, but it would be nice to have the info here for future searches.

I do have a name but I'm hesitant to give it for fear of identifying my friend. I don't feel that's my right to do.

I call BS then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand all the reasons that people would explore this as an option, but I personally cannot get past the extremely colonialist mindset that says it's perfectly okay for a wealthy Western to go to a developing country and pay 1/3 the American price tag for a poor woman to carry a child for them. I also cannot get past the obvious and very real issues with the way that many parts of Indian culture treat women and girls. I would never be able to be 100% sure that the surrogate was not being coerced in some fashion.

I know that the same sort of economic coercion happens in the US and that surrogacy and adoption are by and large a luxury industry that people do not engage with unless they have the resources to do so. But given the colonial history of India and the gender issues that are pervasive in Indian society, I would personally not be comfortable with it and would have a hard time respecting friends of mine who chose that route, but that's a result of my personal politics and I don't know anyone personally who has chosen an Indian surrogate, so it's largely theoretical for me.

I'm the PP who posted the info a about clinics. We felt the same way, so are doing a GC here in the YS. Our funds are limited and it may mean that we don't get our baby, but we just weren't comfortable with the India option. It's impossible to know if the women are being coerced or not, and the agencies we talked to don't allow any contact between you and the surrogate. That was a major red flag to me.

The agency my friends worked with not only allowed it, they encourage it. They met regularly during the pregnancy and my friend's Indian parents would visit her frequently, and vice-versa. A year later, they celebrate holidays together. They have sort of become relatives.

I looked into two agencies and for both you could and were encouraged to meet the surrogate, Skype with the surrogate etc… I mean how could you even do this if you never even met the woman! I think people just haven't researched this and don't know what they are talking about. You are really going to just say, "oh yes, you pick a woman for me, anyone is fine… let me know when the baby is born." It's not that simplistic! We were encouraged to develop a relationship with the surrogate. The surrogates could either live in their home town ( which you would go visit) or they would live in housing near the clinic for the duration of the pregnancy ( with their families). I ended up not going this route because i finally was able to carry a pregnancy, but Indian surrogacy was the path we were headed for. I think PP's comments are very accurate. Most people seemed to keep a relationship with the surrogate.

Also, American women do not get paid that much for surrogacy. The majority of the money goes to lawyer fees. An Indian woman makes far more money being a surrogate than an American woman if you account for the different economies and typical wages. Many women Indian women feel so lucky to have the opportunity. And many Indians look down on it… that is true too. When I talked to people who had done it, I witnessed American women who were so grateful they were able to have their own child after so many struggles and Indian women who were so grateful to have the opportunity to be a surrogate. I'm sure there are exceptions to this, but if you really check out these clinics and meet people then you would likely have a very different opinion on it. When someone first told me about Indian Surrogacy, i thought it sounded ridiculous… why would i do that when i could find a surrogate in the US. However, after years of failed fertility treatments, lost pregnancies and dead-ends with adoption, this was such a beautiful light at the end of the tunnel. And I literally got pregnant as we were making plans to do this. Im just so glad this option is out there for women.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand all the reasons that people would explore this as an option, but I personally cannot get past the extremely colonialist mindset that says it's perfectly okay for a wealthy Western to go to a developing country and pay 1/3 the American price tag for a poor woman to carry a child for them. I also cannot get past the obvious and very real issues with the way that many parts of Indian culture treat women and girls. I would never be able to be 100% sure that the surrogate was not being coerced in some fashion.

I know that the same sort of economic coercion happens in the US and that surrogacy and adoption are by and large a luxury industry that people do not engage with unless they have the resources to do so. But given the colonial history of India and the gender issues that are pervasive in Indian society, I would personally not be comfortable with it and would have a hard time respecting friends of mine who chose that route, but that's a result of my personal politics and I don't know anyone personally who has chosen an Indian surrogate, so it's largely theoretical for me.

I'm the PP who posted the info a about clinics. We felt the same way, so are doing a GC here in the YS. Our funds are limited and it may mean that we don't get our baby, but we just weren't comfortable with the India option. It's impossible to know if the women are being coerced or not, and the agencies we talked to don't allow any contact between you and the surrogate. That was a major red flag to me.

The agency my friends worked with not only allowed it, they encourage it. They met regularly during the pregnancy and my friend's Indian parents would visit her frequently, and vice-versa. A year later, they celebrate holidays together. They have sort of become relatives.

Pp here. That's great to hear! I'm genuinely glad it worked out for them. Do you have the agency name? I'm not interested for my family, we're thoroughly invested in our current process, but it would be nice to have the info here for future searches.

I do have a name but I'm hesitant to give it for fear of identifying my friend. I don't feel that's my right to do.

I call BS then.

That's fair. I won't tell you which clinic because I really do not want to out my friend, but I can provide tips on how to find the good ones.

For starters, track Indian regs on surrogacy. Ask the clinic to describe how they comply. (Never ask yes/no questions.) Ask them what practices they have in place to ensure that coercion is not a factor in the decision. Ask if you can have direct contact. (You're right that it's a red flag if they say no.) Investigate. Get the medical background of the doctors and clinic directors. Were they educated in the West? How long were they here? Have they published in top five journals? Have they chaired any international conferences or are there signs that they are widely regarded in the world? Have they published or do they have a track record of advocating for women's rights, GLBT rights, or other social justice issues? Find out if the clinic complies with global ethical standards for REs.

I'm doing this on an i-phone, so I can't get it all down, but I hope you can get a sense of how to go about separating the wheat from the chaff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand all the reasons that people would explore this as an option, but I personally cannot get past the extremely colonialist mindset that says it's perfectly okay for a wealthy Western to go to a developing country and pay 1/3 the American price tag for a poor woman to carry a child for them. I also cannot get past the obvious and very real issues with the way that many parts of Indian culture treat women and girls. I would never be able to be 100% sure that the surrogate was not being coerced in some fashion.

I know that the same sort of economic coercion happens in the US and that surrogacy and adoption are by and large a luxury industry that people do not engage with unless they have the resources to do so. But given the colonial history of India and the gender issues that are pervasive in Indian society, I would personally not be comfortable with it and would have a hard time respecting friends of mine who chose that route, but that's a result of my personal politics and I don't know anyone personally who has chosen an Indian surrogate, so it's largely theoretical for me.

I'm the PP who posted the info a about clinics. We felt the same way, so are doing a GC here in the YS. Our funds are limited and it may mean that we don't get our baby, but we just weren't comfortable with the India option. It's impossible to know if the women are being coerced or not, and the agencies we talked to don't allow any contact between you and the surrogate. That was a major red flag to me.

The agency my friends worked with not only allowed it, they encourage it. They met regularly during the pregnancy and my friend's Indian parents would visit her frequently, and vice-versa. A year later, they celebrate holidays together. They have sort of become relatives.

I looked into two agencies and for both you could and were encouraged to meet the surrogate, Skype with the surrogate etc… I mean how could you even do this if you never even met the woman! I think people just haven't researched this and don't know what they are talking about. You are really going to just say, "oh yes, you pick a woman for me, anyone is fine… let me know when the baby is born." It's not that simplistic! We were encouraged to develop a relationship with the surrogate. The surrogates could either live in their home town ( which you would go visit) or they would live in housing near the clinic for the duration of the pregnancy ( with their families). I ended up not going this route because i finally was able to carry a pregnancy, but Indian surrogacy was the path we were headed for. I think PP's comments are very accurate. Most people seemed to keep a relationship with the surrogate.

Also, American women do not get paid that much for surrogacy. The majority of the money goes to lawyer fees. An Indian woman makes far more money being a surrogate than an American woman if you account for the different economies and typical wages. Many women Indian women feel so lucky to have the opportunity. And many Indians look down on it… that is true too. When I talked to people who had done it, I witnessed American women who were so grateful they were able to have their own child after so many struggles and Indian women who were so grateful to have the opportunity to be a surrogate. I'm sure there are exceptions to this, but if you really check out these clinics and meet people then you would likely have a very different opinion on it. When someone first told me about Indian Surrogacy, i thought it sounded ridiculous… why would i do that when i could find a surrogate in the US. However, after years of failed fertility treatments, lost pregnancies and dead-ends with adoption, this was such a beautiful light at the end of the tunnel. And I literally got pregnant as we were making plans to do this. Im just so glad this option is out there for women.

How do you know the women you "met" weren't paid by the agency to pretend to be surrogates? Serious question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand all the reasons that people would explore this as an option, but I personally cannot get past the extremely colonialist mindset that says it's perfectly okay for a wealthy Western to go to a developing country and pay 1/3 the American price tag for a poor woman to carry a child for them. I also cannot get past the obvious and very real issues with the way that many parts of Indian culture treat women and girls. I would never be able to be 100% sure that the surrogate was not being coerced in some fashion.

I know that the same sort of economic coercion happens in the US and that surrogacy and adoption are by and large a luxury industry that people do not engage with unless they have the resources to do so. But given the colonial history of India and the gender issues that are pervasive in Indian society, I would personally not be comfortable with it and would have a hard time respecting friends of mine who chose that route, but that's a result of my personal politics and I don't know anyone personally who has chosen an Indian surrogate, so it's largely theoretical for me.

I'm the PP who posted the info a about clinics. We felt the same way, so are doing a GC here in the YS. Our funds are limited and it may mean that we don't get our baby, but we just weren't comfortable with the India option. It's impossible to know if the women are being coerced or not, and the agencies we talked to don't allow any contact between you and the surrogate. That was a major red flag to me.

The agency my friends worked with not only allowed it, they encourage it. They met regularly during the pregnancy and my friend's Indian parents would visit her frequently, and vice-versa. A year later, they celebrate holidays together. They have sort of become relatives.

I looked into two agencies and for both you could and were encouraged to meet the surrogate, Skype with the surrogate etc… I mean how could you even do this if you never even met the woman! I think people just haven't researched this and don't know what they are talking about. You are really going to just say, "oh yes, you pick a woman for me, anyone is fine… let me know when the baby is born." It's not that simplistic! We were encouraged to develop a relationship with the surrogate. The surrogates could either live in their home town ( which you would go visit) or they would live in housing near the clinic for the duration of the pregnancy ( with their families). I ended up not going this route because i finally was able to carry a pregnancy, but Indian surrogacy was the path we were headed for. I think PP's comments are very accurate. Most people seemed to keep a relationship with the surrogate.

Also, American women do not get paid that much for surrogacy. The majority of the money goes to lawyer fees. An Indian woman makes far more money being a surrogate than an American woman if you account for the different economies and typical wages. Many women Indian women feel so lucky to have the opportunity. And many Indians look down on it… that is true too. When I talked to people who had done it, I witnessed American women who were so grateful they were able to have their own child after so many struggles and Indian women who were so grateful to have the opportunity to be a surrogate. I'm sure there are exceptions to this, but if you really check out these clinics and meet people then you would likely have a very different opinion on it. When someone first told me about Indian Surrogacy, i thought it sounded ridiculous… why would i do that when i could find a surrogate in the US. However, after years of failed fertility treatments, lost pregnancies and dead-ends with adoption, this was such a beautiful light at the end of the tunnel. And I literally got pregnant as we were making plans to do this. Im just so glad this option is out there for women.

How do you know the women you "met" weren't paid by the agency to pretend to be surrogates? Serious question.

This is not the pp, but you would know when you go to the birth (at the very least). Plus, Indian law now requires that you sign the contract in person, in India. That's a fairly new development though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand all the reasons that people would explore this as an option, but I personally cannot get past the extremely colonialist mindset that says it's perfectly okay for a wealthy Western to go to a developing country and pay 1/3 the American price tag for a poor woman to carry a child for them. I also cannot get past the obvious and very real issues with the way that many parts of Indian culture treat women and girls. I would never be able to be 100% sure that the surrogate was not being coerced in some fashion.

I know that the same sort of economic coercion happens in the US and that surrogacy and adoption are by and large a luxury industry that people do not engage with unless they have the resources to do so. But given the colonial history of India and the gender issues that are pervasive in Indian society, I would personally not be comfortable with it and would have a hard time respecting friends of mine who chose that route, but that's a result of my personal politics and I don't know anyone personally who has chosen an Indian surrogate, so it's largely theoretical for me.

I'm the PP who posted the info a about clinics. We felt the same way, so are doing a GC here in the YS. Our funds are limited and it may mean that we don't get our baby, but we just weren't comfortable with the India option. It's impossible to know if the women are being coerced or not, and the agencies we talked to don't allow any contact between you and the surrogate. That was a major red flag to me.

The agency my friends worked with not only allowed it, they encourage it. They met regularly during the pregnancy and my friend's Indian parents would visit her frequently, and vice-versa. A year later, they celebrate holidays together. They have sort of become relatives.

I looked into two agencies and for both you could and were encouraged to meet the surrogate, Skype with the surrogate etc… I mean how could you even do this if you never even met the woman! I think people just haven't researched this and don't know what they are talking about. You are really going to just say, "oh yes, you pick a woman for me, anyone is fine… let me know when the baby is born." It's not that simplistic! We were encouraged to develop a relationship with the surrogate. The surrogates could either live in their home town ( which you would go visit) or they would live in housing near the clinic for the duration of the pregnancy ( with their families). I ended up not going this route because i finally was able to carry a pregnancy, but Indian surrogacy was the path we were headed for. I think PP's comments are very accurate. Most people seemed to keep a relationship with the surrogate.

Also, American women do not get paid that much for surrogacy. The majority of the money goes to lawyer fees. An Indian woman makes far more money being a surrogate than an American woman if you account for the different economies and typical wages. Many women Indian women feel so lucky to have the opportunity. And many Indians look down on it… that is true too. When I talked to people who had done it, I witnessed American women who were so grateful they were able to have their own child after so many struggles and Indian women who were so grateful to have the opportunity to be a surrogate. I'm sure there are exceptions to this, but if you really check out these clinics and meet people then you would likely have a very different opinion on it. When someone first told me about Indian Surrogacy, i thought it sounded ridiculous… why would i do that when i could find a surrogate in the US. However, after years of failed fertility treatments, lost pregnancies and dead-ends with adoption, this was such a beautiful light at the end of the tunnel. And I literally got pregnant as we were making plans to do this. Im just so glad this option is out there for women.

So very true. The agency gets $40-50K for screening, the lawyer gets the same. Also the RE. The surrogate in the us.... $25-30K. Paid less than anyone. Usually the intended parents have put out so much for everyone else that there is just not but so much money left over.

[Anonymous]

For starters, track Indian regs on surrogacy. Ask the clinic to describe how they comply. (Never ask yes/no questions.) Ask them what practices they have in place to ensure that coercion is not a factor in the decision. Ask if you can have direct contact. (You're right that it's a red flag if they say no.) Investigate. Get the medical background of the doctors and clinic directors. Were they educated in the West? How long were they here? Have they published in top five journals? Have they chaired any international conferences or are there signs that they are widely regarded in the world? Have they published or do they have a track record of advocating for women's rights, GLBT rights, or other social justice issues? Find out if the clinic complies with global ethical standards for REs.

Well thank you for all that helpful advice, and good luck with the surrogacy process if you act like you are working undercover for 60 minutes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm the poster that painted a very clear cultural picture earlier.

To add to the picture - how often do you think rich Indians give to charity? Would you be shocked to know that the answer is virtually none? How about people who volunteer in their community? Or something as simple as don't throw trash on the street?

Civic pride, giving back, charity are all western ideals. Christian ideals, in fact. There is no basis in eastern culture for these values. Even with western influences (which some modern Indians interpret simply as western women are loose and sleep around), they don't think like us. The world is not one giant America.

I assure all of the skeptics on this thread that economic coercion is real, but the women likely won't see a cent of that money. Their husbands will probably use it to drink and do drugs (if we're talking about the kind of women in a desperate enough situation to not just sell their body, but sell their womb).

OMG! Seriously. You lived in one part of the country and worked with one organization, and you feel that you know for a fact exactly how over 1 billion people in one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world behave?!! I mean, half the country doesn't even speak the same language as the other half (Tamil vs Hindi).

You are one of the most offensive posters I've ever seen on DCUM, and that's saying a lot. I was raised a Hindu, with Eastern/Hindu ideals. And charity and civic service was a cornerstone of my upbringing. Every job, every cash birthday gift, everything, I was encouraged to set aside 10% for charity.

Yes economic coercion in India is real. And they are not as liberated on women's issues as the US. But to paint over a billion people with the exact same brush is ludicrous!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm the poster that painted a very clear cultural picture earlier.

To add to the picture - how often do you think rich Indians give to charity? Would you be shocked to know that the answer is virtually none? How about people who volunteer in their community? Or something as simple as don't throw trash on the street?

Civic pride, giving back, charity are all western ideals. Christian ideals, in fact. There is no basis in eastern culture for these values. Even with western influences (which some modern Indians interpret simply as western women are loose and sleep around), they don't think like us. The world is not one giant America.

I assure all of the skeptics on this thread that economic coercion is real, but the women likely won't see a cent of that money. Their husbands will probably use it to drink and do drugs (if we're talking about the kind of women in a desperate enough situation to not just sell their body, but sell their womb).

OMG! Seriously. You lived in one part of the country and worked with one organization, and you feel that you know for a fact exactly how over 1 billion people in one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world behave?!! I mean, half the country doesn't even speak the same language as the other half (Tamil vs Hindi).

You are one of the most offensive posters I've ever seen on DCUM, and that's saying a lot. I was raised a Hindu, with Eastern/Hindu ideals. And charity and civic service was a cornerstone of my upbringing. Every job, every cash birthday gift, everything, I was encouraged to set aside 10% for charity.

Yes economic coercion in India is real. And they are not as liberated on women's issues as the US. But to paint over a billion people with the exact same brush is ludicrous!

Actually I was all over the country. North, South, East and West.

[Anonymous]

Charitable giving: 0.3-0.4% of income in India

http://m.us.wsj.com/articles/BL-IRTB-15973

I'm not going to do all the googling here, but there is plenty of discussion on all the points I've brought up online. Denying the culture differences only means there will never be a significant cultural shift.