India Promotes 'Rent a Womb' to Carry a Child

In India, surrogacy for pay or "rent-a-womb" is a booming industry, according to Nat Monitor.

Testimonials from happy couples that finally have the child they dreamed of continue to fuel the industry's growth.  However, there is a growing debate that regulation of the industry is necessary in order to avoid exploitation of poor women. 

According to the Center for Bioethics and Culture Network, surrogates agree to undergo a pregnancy and give birth to a child for someone else.  Generally, the surrogate usually has no biological relationship to the child, she has no legal claim to the child, and the surrogate's name does not appear on the birth certificate. 

In many countries and jurisdictions throughout the world, primarily throughout Europe, surrogacy is an illegal medical procedure. India first opened up to commercial surrogacy in 2002.  This makes it one of only a few countries that allow women to be paid to carry another's genetic child through a process of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo transfer. 

Other countries include Georgia, Russia, Thailand, Ukraine, and the U.S.  However, in the U.S. regulation of surrogacy varies from state to state and it is only legal to pay surrogates in a few states.  Surrogacy India, a Mumbai-based fertility clinic, has been open since 2007.  During its time in business, the clinic has produced 295 surrogate babies. 

Of these, 90 percent went to overseas clients and 40 percent went to same-sex couples.  The best known clinic is the Akanksha clinic in Anand, which has a reputation as the surrogacy capital.  This clinic has produced 500 surrogate babies, of which two-thirds have gone to foreigners.  Clients also include people of Indian descent living in 30 different countries.