Is adoption better than surrogacy?
“The world may not change if you adapt a child, but for that child their world will change.” – Anonymous
‘MOTHERHOOD’, although just ten letter word, but hold a lots of emotions. One cannot understand what it means to be a mother or experience motherhood until they become one, but not everyone is so lucky. However, motherhood is something that forces a woman to lot more than she can even expect, there have been battles fought for the child and with the child, so when motherhood is something so precious, everyone out there wants to experience it. But what if one can’t conceive naturally? What are the options available for her?
Well, earlier there were hardly any options available for a woman to have a child through some other technique if not by conceiving naturally and the only option they would have is to adapt, which many women or families didn’t prefer thinking why raise someone else’s child. But in today’s time, there tens of various techniques and procedures available for a woman to have her baby even if she can’t conceive naturally.
There are techniques like Surrogacy, IVF (In vitro fertilisation), Test Tube Baby, and many more. But in today’s article we shall look what is better – Adoption or Surrogacy? However, before make our decision about which one is better we shall have a look at what is Surrogacy and Adoption in detail.
What is Surrogacy?
Surrogate Pregnancy involves a woman agreeing to bear someone else's child. After the birth of a child, the birth mother gains the right to live and care for the intended parent or parents. Surrogacy has complex legal and medical measures to be met. It is important to monitor the process, seek professional advice and build support networks.
Well, it does not just here, as there are many different types of Surrogacy as well.
· Altruistic (non-commercial) surrogacy: The birth mother does not receive payment. Although some states allow reasonable reimbursement of medical expenses for the mother of the respondent.
· Traditional Surrogacy: The surrogate mother donates her egg, which is fertilized by the sperm of the father. Since the baby is naturally the surrogate mother's child, there may be future issues related to the child's future right to information about his or her identity. Thus Traditional Surrogacy may be banned in most states and territories. Therefore, it is also possible to practice traditional surrogacy through an overseas clinic.
· Commercial Surrogacy: This includes the birth mother who receives payment or material gain in favour of giving birth. It is illegal to pay a third party company to arrange for acquisition and advertising to the adoptive parent or the authorized parent is usually not permitted.
While we are talking about Surrogacy it is also extremely important to talk about Gestational Surrogacy which is also called as IVF (In Vitro Fertilization).
Gestational Surrogacy- The procedure called “In Vitro Fertilization” (IVF) now makes it possible to collect eggs from the mother (or donor egg), fertilized by sperm from the father (or donor sperm), and implant the foetus in her mother's womb. The surrogate mother then carries the baby until it is born.
They have no genetics in the baby because it was not their egg that was used. The Gestational surrogates are called as "birth mother" but logically the birth mother is still the woman whose egg was fertilized for the process.
In the U.S., Gestational surrogacy is not so legal. That is because both target parents have genetic responsibilities toward the child. As a result, pregnancy is more common than the traditional healer. And about 750 babies are born each year through the process of Gestational Surrogacy.
Let’s also have a quick look at the different procedures used in Gestational Surrogacy:
· The embryo is produced from the sperm of the would be father and egg of the would be mother;
· The embryo is produced using the sperm of the would be father and a donor egg;
· The embryo is produced using would be mother's egg and a donor sperm;
· The donating embryo is passed on to the other person. Such an embryo may be acquired when others undergo IVF and have embryos implanted in others. The resulting child is not genetically related to the target parent(s).
This also bring us to view why women opt for Surrogate Pregnancy and there can many reasons for one to do so, but some of the most common ones are:
· Medical problems with one's uterus.
· One had a hysterectomy that removed their uterus.
· Circumstances that make pregnancy impossible or dangerous for the woman, such as severe heart disease.
And now that we know what is surrogacy in detail, let’s also have a clear understanding of what adoption, although I’m sure that most of you already have a fair idea about it.
What is Adoption?
Adoption is the procedure by which a woman or a family adopts a kid who has no biological or legal parents and then signs themselves as the kid’s parents legally. Legal adoption permanently transfers all rights and obligations, as well as adoption, from natural parents to adoptive parents.
Unlike guardians or other programs designed for child care, adoption is intended to effect a permanent change in status and therefore requires public recognition, either legally or religiously. Historically, some communities have enacted certain laws governing adoption, while others have used informal means (especially contracts that specify parental rights and obligations without the corresponding transfer of filiation). Modern adoption systems, dating back to the 20th century, are often governed by broader laws and regulations.
What are the different forms of adoption?
There are two different types of adoption – Open and close.
Open adoption allows for identification information to be communicated between the adoptive parents and the surviving parents and, possibly, interactions between relatives and the adoptive person. Open adoption may be an informal arrangement under the withdrawal of adoptive parents who have sole custody of the child. In some areas, biological parents and adoptive parents may enter into a legally binding and binding agreement regarding travel, sharing of information, or other matters relating to the child. As of February 2009, 24 U.S. states allow legally available acquisition contract agreements to be entered into upon completion of acquisition.
The practice of confidentiality (also known as close adoption), which has not been the norm in most modern history, closes all identifying information, keeps it confidential and prevents the disclosure of adoptive parents, natural relatives, and adoptive children 'ownership. However, closed access may allow for the transfer of non-identifiable information such as medical history and religious and ethnic background. Today, thanks to safe environmental laws passed by some U.S. states, confidentiality is gaining momentum. In so-called "safe areas", babies can be left unattended in hospitals, fire departments, or police stations within a few days of birth, a practice that has been criticized by some organizations as provocative and dangerous.
Now, coming to conclusion whether Surrogacy is better than adoption, then answers might be a 50 – 50 because while surrogacy gives you chance to have your own blood, adaption gives you chance to glorify an orphan’s life. Thus, this judgement of which better varies from person to person and family to family. And here we have provided you guys with all basic information required about both processes, so now you all are open to decide which is better after reading the article.
Ref: Surrogacy | Pregnancy Birth and Baby (pregnancybirthbaby.org.au)
Surrogate Mothers: What It Is and How Does Surrogacy Work (webmd.com)