The article has been automatically translated into English by Google Translate from Russian and has not been edited.

Surrogate volunteering. Why canadas give birth to other people's children for free?

'11.12.2018'

In recent years, Canada has become increasingly attractive for parents-to-be who are looking for "altruistic" surrogate mothers - women who carry and give birth to someone else's child, without taking any payment for this, except to compensate for the running costs associated with pregnancy.

Marissa Muzell gave birth to a girl 16 hours.

During pregnancy, she had a strong toxicosis, and she had to go to the hospital twice. For several months, she had to make daily hormone injections, and before that she had to go through unsuccessful embryo transfer procedures four times, says Air force.

She passed through all this for the sake of a child who was not her and whom she was to give to strangers.

32-year-old Marissa is a surrogate mother in Canada, where hundreds of women like her volunteer to give birth to a child, which will then be taken by other people.

“I just started someone's family,” laughs Marissa. She is still recovering in the maternity ward after giving the newborn baby girl to her future parents, a same-sex couple from Spain.

Surrogate motherhood in the world

Thailand, Nepal, Mexico and India recently imposed a ban on the provision of paid services by surrogate mothers to foreigners. In several countries, including France, Germany, Italy and Spain, there is a total ban on surrogate motherhood.

In Great Britain, Ireland, Denmark and Belgium, surrogacy is permitted only at no cost or with reimbursement of only reasonable expenses. Paid surrogacy is allowed in Georgia, Russia, Ukraine and in some US states.

The demand for surrogate motherhood is growing rapidly around the world. According to some estimates, the growth in demand for these services in Canada was 400% over the past ten years.

Surrogacy here is altruistic in nature: women who are carrying a child cannot earn money on it. Canada is not the only country where this is considered the norm - the same laws apply, for example, in the UK.

But the difference is that legislation in most Canadian provinces makes it easier for prospective parents to acquire rights to such children. In addition, unlike some other countries, Canada allows homosexual couples to use such services, as well as single parents.

For some, “altruistic” surrogacy is more ethically acceptable and much cheaper compared to countries where you can charge money, like the United States.

“I know there are many surrogate mothers in America who are paid thousands of dollars for their pregnancies. We don't do that in Canada, ”says Marissa.

Here, women can expect to be reimbursed for the limited amount of expenses related to pregnancy, such as vitamins, clothes for pregnant women, food and travel expenses to hospitals, as well as lost income if they have left their work for medical reasons at their own expense.

All their expenses, for which they expect to receive compensation, they need to confirm by check.

“This is not a source of income you can set aside, we are not machines for making babies,” says Marissa, a social worker by trade. - Therefore, for me, surrogacy has become even more special. You don't do the job, you do it with a pure heart. "

"Online dating"

Canadian surrogate mothers carry only children conceived using someone else's egg - you cannot use your own.

According to Canadian media, there are at least 900 surrogate mothers in the country. Finding official statistics is difficult.

“11 years ago, when I just started my company, surrogate mothers gave birth to eight children a year. We had 30 of them last month alone, ”says Leia Svanberg, founder of the Canadian Reproductive Consultation, one of the largest surrogacy agencies in the country.

Volunteers must undergo a medical and psychological examination. Only women who have already given birth to at least one child are allowed.

Leia Swanberg herself was a surrogate mother, now she selects candidates and brings them to potential parents from all over the world.

“It's like online dating,” says double-surrogate Janet Herbick. She is 33 years old, and now she is carrying a girl. “You fill out a questionnaire, and then they send you a questionnaire of potential parents,” she adds.

According to her, it is always difficult: “There are more couples than surrogate mothers, and you feel a huge responsibility. How should I choose? Usually there is some kind of connection, you just feel it when you first communicate with people. "

For the first time, Janet became a surrogate mother last year for a French couple, and then became pregnant again four months after giving birth.

“I was thinking about giving birth to two more - a brother or sister for the children I have already given birth to for two couples,” she says. “I like being pregnant and my body is recovering well, so why not?”

As she, many surrogate mothers do it several times. Many remain in touch with the families they helped create.

“These guys [potential parents] are just strangers for you at first, then friends, and in the end they become like family members for you,” says Janet. - For my own children, they are like uncles, and I also stay for a long time in the life of my “surro-child”.

These women recognize that surrogacy is a life-changing experience. This may partly explain why they sacrifice their time and, potentially, their bodies for this.

“I can't imagine life without children,” says Janet, who has five children of her own. “My fallopian tubes are ligated and I no longer want to have my own children, but I like the feeling that I can give a child to someone who cannot have children otherwise,” she explains.

Marissa adds: “It's like bringing light back into the world. I give birth to a child for these people, but I also leave my mark on the world. "

But the road to surrogacy can be long and difficult. Multiple IVF attempts, unsuccessful embryo transfers and miscarriages are common.

“I felt very bad during pregnancy, so my husband had to take on some of the responsibilities. He helped me a lot, as did our children, ”says Janet.

“In my case, the groom did not understand why I was doing this, it was difficult for us with him,” adds Marissa.

In the small provincial town where she comes from, she also had to face the disapproval of her neighbors. “Many have asked how I can give the baby away and why I sacrifice family life for a child I cannot keep for myself,” she says. - Therefore, if you want to be a surrogate mother, you have to be able to stand up for yourself. This is your body, your choice. "

Surrogate motherhood: how are things in Russia?

In Russia, surrogacy is allowed, but it is regulated in a contradictory way. The concept of "surrogacy" was introduced in 2012 in the form of amendments to the law on the basics of public health protection.

A woman between the ages of 20 and 35 who has two children can officially become a surrogate mother. The surrogate mother must conclude an agreement with the genetic parents, which stipulates all the conditions of carrying the unborn child. If a woman is married, her husband’s notarized consent is required.

A surrogate mother cannot be an egg donor, a ready-made embryo sits on it.

The law describes only those situations in which a child carried by a surrogate mother has two biological parents. If the parent is alone or if all biological material (both the sperm and the egg) is obtained from donors, the legal registration of parental rights becomes more difficult, Kommersant wrote.

“There is, for example, the order of the Ministry of Health No. 107n, which states that surrogacy is a program for the treatment of infertility, treatment is carried out according to indications, and all indications listed in the order are female. The Family Code also contains the concept of surrogate motherhood, but according to the code, only married persons can be registered as parents, ”the newspaper wrote.

At the same time, there is an 55-i article of the law on the fundamentals of public health protection, which states that both couples and individual women and men are entitled to the use of assisted reproductive technologies (including surrogate motherhood).

For genetic parents, the birth program costs at least 2-3 million rubles (30-45 thousand dollars), Rossiyskaya Gazeta noted in 2017. The remuneration of a surrogate mother is individual, usually it is about an amount of about 500 thousand rubles, the publication pointed out.

Altruism or business?

Surrogate motherhood often comes under fire. Among feminists, for example, there is a point of view that this is a form of the exploitation of the female body.

Scientist Kathy Falfer from the University of Waterloo, which conducts research on the subject of surrogate motherhood, argues that, although in Canada these services are not paid for, this does not mean that they have no elements of exploitation.

“I think it is appropriate to compare surrogacy with prostitution, because in both cases it is about the sale of services related to the body,” she says.

“The fact that these women are working without pay is a problem. Reproductive medicine is a business and everyone else gets paid. Why not surrogate mothers? ”

Under the “altruistic” model, surrogate mothers are only reimbursed for recurrent pregnancy costs, while agencies, doctors, clinics and lawyers are paid for their services. For parents-to-be, the total cost of carrying a child in this way can exceed $ 75 (about $ 57).

The authorities are actively regulating this area. A few years ago, Leia Swanberg became the only woman in the entire time who was accused of violating the Canadian surrogate motherhood law.

She pleaded guilty to the fact that her agency did not keep all the checks confirming the compensation of expenses to surrogate mothers, and she was fined.

Now there is a struggle to change this legislation.

“Since payment for these services is prohibited, even sending flowers to a surrogate mother can put potential parents at risk of criminal liability,” she says.

Violation of the law leads to a fine of up to half a million Canadian dollars or imprisonment for up to 10 years.

“In truth, it would be better to relax the prohibitions and let us not collect these checks, but this is not a tragedy. We're not here for the money, says Janet. "I am extremely proud to be able to bear this child."