https://doi.org/10.4081/mem.2017.504

Il dibattito legale ed etico sul divieto di commercio della maternità surrogata in India / The legal and moral debate leading to the ban of commercial surrogacy in India

Vol. 66 No. 4 (2017)
Submitted: October 11, 2017
Accepted: October 11, 2017
Published: October 11, 2017
maternità surrogata, India, commercio / surrogate maternity, commerce
Abstract Views: 964
PDF (Italiano): 11
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Authors

Joseph Nixon
palathara@gmail.com
Doctoral Course in Integrated Biomedicine and Bioethics, Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy.
Olinda Timms
Division of Health and Humanities, St. John's Research Institute, Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Bangalore, India.
Le tecniche di riproduzione assistita (ART) offrono la possibilità di una maternità surrogata alle coppie sterili o senza figli. Alla fine degli anni '80, specialisti qualificati in India hanno approfittato della disponibilità di madri surrogate e dell'assenza di regole per creare un mercato di maternità surrogata per i clienti sia indiani sia esteri. Il Ministero della Salute è intervenuto con le linee guida solo dopo forti proteste di gruppi di donne e cittadini, facendo seguito alle storie su ostelli surrogati, bambini abbandonati e sfruttamento. Nel frattempo, le cliniche dell'infertilità si sono moltiplicate, offrendo gameti di donatori, fecondazione in vitro e maternità surrogata ad un costo molto inferiore rispetto ai paesi occidentali. Dai primi anni del 2000, l'India è divenuta la destinazione più popolare per la pratica della maternità surrogata. In risposta alle proteste e consapevole del divieto di accordi di maternità surrogata negli altri paesi, il Governo indiano ha emanato le linee guida ART che erano via via restrittive; ma tali disposizioni non sono state in grado di arginare il business ormai florido. Infine, nel 2016, il governo ha proposto un disegno di legge per porre fine alla maternità surrogata commerciale. Il regolamento Bill 2016 considera esclusivamente gli accordi di maternità surrogata, non considerando tutti gli altri aspetti della riproduzione assistita e delle cliniche coinvolte. La legislazione è stata rivolta principalmente alle questioni sociali e agli elementi di sfruttamento della maternità surrogata commerciale, più che al processo tecnico. Se approvata, tale legge vieterà efficacemente maternità surrogata commerciale in India.
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Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) offer the possibility of unrelated surrogacy arrangements to infertile couples and childless human relationships. In the late 80s, qualified specialists in India took advantage of the availability of willing surrogates and the absence of regulations, to create a market in commercial surrogacy for clients from within the country and abroad. The Ministry of Health stepped in with guidelines only after strong protests from women's groups and citizens, following media stories of surrogate hostels, abandoned children and exploitation. Meanwhile, 'infertility' clinics mushroomed, offering donor gametes, in-vitro fertilization and surrogacy services at a fraction of the cost in western countries. By early 2000s, India had emerged as the most popular destination for commercial surrogacy arrangements. In response to protests from doctors, citizens and human rights groups, and mindful of the ban on commercial surrogacy arrangements in most developed countries, the Government issued ART guidelines that were progressively restrictive; but these did not have the teeth to rein in the lucrative business that commercial surrogacy had transformed into. Finally, in 2016, the Government proposed a Bill that would bring an end to commercial surrogacy. The Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill 2016 addressed surrogacy arrangements exclusively, taking it out of proposed ART Bill that was aimed at comprehensively regulating all other aspects of assisted reproduction and the clinics involved. The legislation was directed mainly at the social issues and exploitative elements specific to commercial surrogacy arrangements, rather than the technical process. If passed, the Surrogacy Bill will effectively ban commercial surrogacy in India.

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How to Cite

Nixon, J., & Timms, O. (2017). Il dibattito legale ed etico sul divieto di commercio della maternità surrogata in India / The legal and moral debate leading to the ban of commercial surrogacy in India. Medicina E Morale, 66(4), 513–531. https://doi.org/10.4081/mem.2017.504

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