In this paper, I intend to argue and agree that Elizabeth Anderson’s criticism of commercial surrogacy is correct because as she argues “commercial surrogate contracts objectionably commodify children because they regard parental rights over children not as trusts to be allocated in the best interests of the child, but as lie property rights, to be allocated at the will of the parents” (Anderson 19). I will show this by first explaining what gestational and commercial surrogacy are. Then I will explain and provide the following three premises in support of Anderson’s argument: commercial surrogacy is strictly for the wealthy, it is like prostitution, and it is a form of alienated labor. Finally, I will provide rebuttals to possible counterarguments.
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Commercial surrogacy is happening across the world, with certain jurisdictions stricter than others. This begs the question, how loosely are we using the word “commercial”? For example, in the United States some states completely prohibit any form of surrogacy and then there are states like California that fully accepts commercial surrogacy in all forms. When we examine a country like India, with regions that are stricken with poverty, women see commercial surrogacy as their way out. The surrogate mothers are typically women of a lower income. These women are essentially, factories that are required to mass produce. Once they have done so, they are thrown to the side, one may argue like prostitute. It is easy to see the analogous relationship between prostitution and commercial surrogacy although the proponents of commercial surrogacy may disagree. Swedish feminist Kajsa Ekman states that prostitution and surrogacy “force the women involved to divorce their minds from the reality of what is happening to their bodies” (Ekman). Despite knowing this, those in favor of commercial surrogacy will proceed with their actions, which requires them to use or “rent” the bodies of inferior women for money. This means that the women are commodities and the child is marketable property, that can be bought and sold. To make this more transparent, women who participate in commercial surrogacy are selling their reproductive capabilities in the same way that prostitutes sell their bodies. These points equivalates to Anderson’s overall perspective. Finally, we can delve into the similarities between commercial surrogacy and the theory of alienation. The theory is from a two-fold Marxist sense, which Karl Marx adopted from G.W.F Hegel. In summary, Marx’s theory of alienation states that “in modern industrial production under capitalist conditions workers will inevitably lose control of their lives by losing
Commercial surrogacy is happening across the world, with certain jurisdictions stricter than others. This begs the question, how loosely are we using the word “commercial”? For example, in the United States some states completely prohibit any form of surrogacy and then there are states like California that fully accepts commercial surrogacy in all forms. When we examine a country like India, with regions that are stricken with poverty, women see commercial surrogacy as their way out. The surrogate mothers are typically women of a lower income. These women are essentially, factories that are required to mass produce. Once they have done so, they are thrown to the side, one may argue like prostitute. It is easy to see the analogous relationship between prostitution and commercial surrogacy although the proponents of commercial surrogacy may disagree. Swedish feminist Kajsa Ekman states that prostitution and surrogacy “force the women involved to divorce their minds from the reality of what is happening to their bodies” (Ekman). Despite knowing this, those in favor of commercial surrogacy will proceed with their actions, which requires them to use or “rent” the bodies of inferior women for money. This means that the women are commodities and the child is marketable property, that can be bought and sold. To make this more transparent, women who participate in commercial surrogacy are selling their reproductive capabilities in the same way that prostitutes sell their bodies. These points equivalates to Anderson’s overall perspective. Finally, we can delve into the similarities between commercial surrogacy and the theory of alienation. The theory is from a two-fold Marxist sense, which Karl Marx adopted from G.W.F Hegel. In summary, Marx’s theory of alienation states that “in modern industrial production under capitalist conditions workers will inevitably lose control of their lives by losing