Read the article "Is Women's Labor a Commodity?" Elizabeth S. Anderson concludes that women's labor should not be treated as a commodity for business transactions. The commercialization of childbirth harms women and should not be encouraged. I will examine Anderson's argument to reach this conclusion. Anderson argues that women's labor should not be a commodity based on the premise that commercial surrogacy facilitates the degradation of children by reducing their value to that of objects. In the world of surrogacy, the values and standards that compose paternal love are absent. Instead of being cherished, the child is regarded in the same way a piece of merchandise would be. The parents of a child have a system of trust instilled into one …show more content…
The author makes her argument based on the premise that women are degraded and exploited in commercial surrogacy. The intense focus on financial arrangements assigns the women the degrading role of a reproduction machine undeserving of respect and consideration. Within the world of surrogacy, there exists the use of intimidation and manipulation from the surrogate agencies that aid in stripping the mother of her autonomy. The complex emotions experienced by surrogate mothers are often ignored and belittled. While these agencies view themselves as facilitating a financial transaction, surrogate mothers are experiencing an emotional transformation. Becoming a surrogate means being alienated from the pregnancy and suppressing any parental bond that can come about so as not to violate the terms of an agreement. In surrogacy, "the mother should feel guilty and irresponsible for loving her child" (Anderson 147). The motive for a woman to become a surrogate mother is much more complex than what surrogate agencies are willing to acknowledge in their agreements. Instead, opt to disregard it entirely and take advantage of the mother's
She also argues people are wrong to suggest that the separation of reproduction and sex is somehow inherently wrong. In response to that issue, she claims there are other analogous separations which benefit women (Purdy 3). As far as baby-selling is concerned, she argues that surrogate mothering is not, in fact, baby-selling (Purdy 6). Throughout the entirety of the paper, Purdy holds that surrogate mothering is beneficial to women and society. Purdy’s conclusions are correct; however, she requires additional arguments to make her point.
Many Australians are turning to surrogacy as their last resort to have a child today. It is a process that has become more recognised popularly used over the years. Surrogacy is an arrangement for a woman to carry and deliver a child for another couple or individual. When the child is born, the birth mother permanently gives up the child to the intended parents. There are many legal issues surrounding surrogacy. Laws regarding this controversial process differ across Australia, and have changed dramatically overtime in Queensland. In this seminar, I will be analysing the issues involved with surrogacy, as well as evaluating and critiquing the new legislation that has been implemented in Queensland, that sets out the laws of surrogacy in Queensland.
Moral issues are so complex that the guidance of a theory can be ambiguous. This is the case for commercial surrogacy. Commercial surrogacy is when the woman who is carrying the baby is paid a large sum of money for the pregnancy. (Worldwide Surrogacy, 2017). Feminists have argued whether commercial surrogacy is ethical. Exploring commercial surrogacy can help find clarity to this issue. Feminist theory gives importance to emotions and relationships when deciding on ethical deliberations (Collier & Haliburton, 2015). It realizes that other ethical theories favour men but, women are different from
The advancement and continued developments of third-party assisted reproductive medical practices has allowed many prospective parents, regardless of their marital status, age, or sexual orientation, to have a new opportunity for genetically or biologically connected children. With these developments come a number of rather complex ethical issues and ongoing discussions regarding assisted reproduction within our society today. These issues include the use of reproductive drugs, gestational services such as surrogacy as well as the rights of those seeking these drugs and services and the responsibilities of the professionals who offer and practice these services.
...er analysis to reflections on economic desperation or injustices in the distribution of income or wealth. She also argues that some markets form and change societies and its citizens, and that because of that effect on our identities and personhood, some goods should not be for sale. Satz is able to convey her opinion in a concise manner as she uses the example of contract pregnancy and demonstrates how inequalities prevail in the market transactions. Satz shows how commodifying reproductive labor in society can reinforces gender inequality of status and promotes prejudices about the role of women in society. However, it is important to note that Satz argues that our negative reactions to noxious markets are not a result of any essential feature of such markets but rather, we react because of the social circumstances in which they operate, for example prostitution.
Commercial surrogacy commodifies children because by paying the surrogate mother to give up her child, they treat the child as an object of exchange or commodity that can be bought and sold. As any business transaction, the parents give money for the exchange of an object, the child. The parents get their desired child and the mother gets the money, but what about what thee child think about this event? The parents and surrogate mother’s action were done with self-interest. It could be argued that they wanted the best for the child. However, the first priority in the intentional procreation of the child was not the welfare of the child but rather to give it up to the parents in exchange of money. Additionally, women’s labor is commodified because the surrogate mother treats her parental rights as it was a property right not as a trust. In other words, the decisions taken concerning the child are not done primarily for the benefit of the child. The act of the mother relenting her parental rights is done for a monetary price. She disposes of her parental rights, which are to be managed for the welfare of the owner, as if they were property right, which are to be handled for personal
received the right to work menial jobs for minimum pay with less job security. She has
“All over the world there exists in every society a small group of women who feel themselves strongly attracted to give care to other women during pregnancy and childbirth. Failure to make use of this group of highly motivated people is regrettable and a sin against the principle of subsidiarity.”
[9] Shanley, M.L, Surrogate Mothering and Women's Freedom: A Critique of Contracts for Human Reproduction, (Politics and the Human Body) editors-Elshtain, J.B, and Cloyd J.T1995, Vanderbitt University Press, Tennessee back
Arguments against commercial surrogacy typically revolve around the idea that surrogacy is a form of child-selling. Critics believe that commercial surrogacy violates both women’s and children’s rights. In addition, by making surrogacy contracts legally enforceable, courts will follow the contract rather than choose what is best for the child. However, in her article “Surrogate Mothering: Exploring Empowerment” Laura Pudry is not convinced by these arguments.
Illegal Immigration Did you know that there is about 11.3 million illegal immigrants living in the US? In the last 5 years illegal immigration has increased as much as decade before. Illegal immigrants do not pay taxes but yet they use more in tax paid services. Granting amnesty for illegal immigrants would give them legal status and can use government programs.
Frame, T. R. "Reproductive Rights." Children on Demand: The Ethics of Defying Nature. Coogee, N.S.W.: UNSW, 2008. N. pag. Print.
A surrogacy is the carrying of a pregnancy for intended parents. There are two kinds of surrogacy: “Gestational”, in which the egg and sperm belong to the intended parents and is carried by the surrogate, and “traditional”, where the surrogate is inseminated with the intended father’s sperm. Regardless of the method, I believe that surrogacy cannot be morally justified. Surrogacy literally means “substitute”, or “replacement”. A surrogate is a replacement for a mother for that 9-month period of pregnancy, and therefore is reducing the role of the surrogate mother to an oversimplified and dehumanizing labor. The pregnancy process for the gestational mother can be very physically and mentally demanding, and is unique because after birthing the
Surrogacy is becoming extremely popular as a way for people to build their families and women to have a source of income. Many people have various reasons for their opposition to it whether it be by comparing it to prostitution or disagreeing with how military wives take advantage of the Tricare insurance. Lorraine Ali states in her article “The Curious Lives of Surrogates” that one of the more popular reasons to oppose surrogacy is that it contradicts, “what we’ve always thought of as an unbreakable bond between mother and child.” However, a woman’s inability to conceive her own children does not determine the absence of a mother to child bond.
These issues need to be taken into mind before choosing a surrogate mother and needs to be stated in the contract.(1-2) In conclusion, surrogate motherhood raises many legal and ethical dilemmas, especially that of who the legal mother is. Surrogate motherhood dramatically alters society norms and creates many different legal viewpoints. But no matter which legal body is dealing with this issue, they all face the same moral and ethical dilemma: that a child born out of surrogacy has a bond with both the genetic mother and the surrogate mother.