(original title: at first, the "surrogate capital" Ukraine: they lent their wombs and were "returned") the commercial surrogacy business in the gray area is booming, but it has opened the door to the exploitation of vulnerable groups, and the legal, ethical and moral dilemma is becoming more and more profound
Italian baby, British baby, German baby
These babies from different countries lie in the same row of cribs, waiting for their "parents"
Because of the COVID-19, the newborns had to stay in a hotel for a long time
This scene recently reported by the British media is real in Ukraine
There, surrogacy became an industry
At present, different countries have different attitudes towards surrogacy
But there is no dispute about one point: Surrogacy not only has huge legal risks and ethical problems, but also may even pay the cost of life
Therefore, many countries prohibit or strictly restrict the surrogate industry
However, under the nicknames of "surrogate city" and "European uterus", no one knows exactly how many surrogate babies are born in Ukraine
But Ukrainian media estimate that there are about 3000 every year
In this not rich country, contemporary pregnant mothers have become a way for some women to make a living, and tragedies have also been staged here
Looking at the world, the tragedy in Ukraine is not unique
Walking in front of the gate of death, there is a secret maternity ward in the basement of an apartment in the small town of Famagusta in Northern Cyprus
In the hospital bed there, Ella, a surrogate mother from Ukraine, once walked in front of the gate of death
The nurses around her spoke Turkish that Ella did not understand, and the doctors from Turkey did not know her medical history
"The doctor was surprised to hear that I had had a caesarean section
" She told the New York Times
Baby waiting for "claim"
Source: BBC in view of Ella's situation, the doctor should give her a caesarean section
But because the mouth of the palace has been opened, it is too late for a caesarean section
So the anesthesiologist, wearing a down jacket, came in to deliver Ella
A few hours later, the baby was born
She was a beautiful girl, but she was just born without breathing
"They obviously don't have enough people
" Ella remembered that doctors and nurses put the children aside to rescue Ella who was bleeding and vomiting
Later, Ella survived and the child died
Since then, all Ukrainian surrogate mothers who entered the underground secret maternity ward have been refused natural childbirth
Caesarean section is their only choice
"The agent assured me that I could give birth naturally
" Trojan, the surrogate mother, said, "but the doctor came in and said he would give me a caesarean section
" Later, Trojan received a text message from his agent on his mobile phone: "we don't need any more deaths
" To become a mother for money in Ukraine, in most cases, the surrogate mother cannot get the full payment until the child is "delivered" to the "client"
They can only get half of the pay, and some even haven't seen the money since the surrogacy has begun
These mothers also have to undergo caesarean section
If the children are gone, they may not get any money
They have to find their own way to pay the rent, take care of themselves, and take care of their children before they leave
Even so, many Ukrainian women are willing to be surrogate mothers
The BBC reported that money may be their only motive
In the past two years, the demand for surrogate mothers in Ukraine has surged
Source: when the BBC first heard the word "surrogate", Anna was only 18 years old
At that time, she had just finished high school and was going to work in a hotel in a small town in western Ukraine
Her annual income was about $2400
However, she heard that the annual income of contemporary pregnant mothers can be as high as $20000, which is more than eight times the average annual income of Ukrainians
According to the local income, Anna's family is not poor
Her mother is an accountant and has been very helpful to her daughter
But Anna hopes to make more money so that she can afford to buy "expensive things", such as cars and household appliances
So Anna began to search the Internet for opportunities for contemporary pregnant mothers
Now, at the age of 24, Anna has been a surrogate mother twice
Despite the risks of surrogacy, okosana said: "after the first surrogacy, few women stop because they need money
" The motives of okosana's current pregnant mothers are very clear
Since 2015, when she left her hometown due to the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine and became a surrogate for the first time, okosana has never worked again, and surrogacy has almost become her main business
Their huge demand for "return" has also stimulated the development of the surrogate industry in Ukraine
The United States, Italy, Britain, France, Romania, Austria, Mexico, Spain and other countries have their target customers
However, not every child who is scheduled to be born can be successfully delivered to the "consignee" who wants to have a baby by belly
Bridget, who has blond hair, is playing with a nurse at the children's home in sonetzko, Ukraine
Due to premature birth, she was slow to develop and had some disabilities
She could not walk
According to Marina Boyko, a nurse who took care of her, told ABC reporters that Bridget was born to a surrogate mother in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, and her twin brother died as soon as he was born
According to the documents, two Americans, matthewscott attley, 39, and imgard pagan, 61, gave birth to Bridget by abdomen, but decided to abandon the child when they learned that the child was disabled
"You can't tell her from the moment she's born, 'we don't like this child
We want her to have a Hollywood smile from the moment she's born
" Boyko loved Bridget very much
"I want to tell them that they have a great daughter
" She had repeatedly tried to contact the two Americans to tell them about their children, but no response was received
On the contrary, the two Americans just sent a cold legal letter to the Ukrainian side, saying, "we learned that Brigitte has mental and physical problems
She is a vegetable and has no chance to become a normal person
We will not take her to the United States
The child is hopeless
"
They asked Brigitte to cut off her life support when she was 5 months old and seriously ill
Bridget
Source: BBC today, the abandoned Brigitte has become a stateless person due to surrogacy and the laws of the two countries
She will not be considered a Ukrainian citizen and will not be able to apply for U
S
citizenship
In the future, even if someone is willing to adopt Bridget, she will encounter obstacles because she has no nationality
In addition to children abandoned for health reasons like Bridget, there are many surrogate babies abandoned for various reasons every year
In many countries, surrogacy is not legal, and there is no relevant law in the world
In some countries, the surrogate mother is regarded as the legal mother of the child, while in others, the scheduled parents are regarded as legal parents
However, various procedures are required for the surrogate baby to be brought back to the country by the scheduled parents, which may take months or even longer
The "client" of the surrogacy industry will not be automatically recognized as the legal parent at the birth of the child, so the child's nationality and subsequent adoption will become a problem
They were scheduled to be born, but were abandoned by the world after birth
You love me? Obviously he is kicking your stomach and listening to you, but he is not your child
"You must be a cold-blooded person to not feel the pain of mother and son
" The surrogate mother Yana said
Mingming is scheduled to be born ten months later
Meet the scheduled parents who expect you to be born
But when you come to this world and are told that they "return", you should not be born
Although the client and the surrogate mother are willing to accept this entrustment, no one has asked those abandoned children whether they would like to be born in this way and exist in the world without a sense of belonging
These "stories" in Ukraine are not unique
According to buggio, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the sale of children and sexual exploitation, commercial surrogacy, a new industry driven by international demand, is no different from the sale of children
"Children are not goods or services that can be guaranteed or provided in any country
They are people with rights
" He called on the international community to pay attention to this area, protect children's rights and interests, and ensure that these scheduled children are not discriminated against
The business of commercial surrogacy in the gray area is booming, but it has opened the door to the exploitation of vulnerable groups
The legal, ethical and moral dilemma is becoming more and more profound
Pandora's box has been opened
How on earth should people close it?
