A Ready-Made Baby

In this wondrous technological age we live in, some of the most significant advances have occurred in the area of childbirth. No longer does a woman, or her male partner, have to be fertile or potent in order to experience the joys of motherhood.

It started with wives, whose husbands' joysticks malfunctioned. A few years ago, In-Vitro Fertilization, or IVF, became popular. This basically involved having test tube babies through artificial insemination. Then fertile single women, who wanted children without the nuisance of a live-in male partner slobbering all over them and getting in their hair, started getting the job done by visiting sperm banks. Now even this is becoming old hat.

Janice is a 39 year old woman living in England. When Janice was 29, her uterus had to be removed due to a medical condition. I suppose she initially resigned herself to never experiencing the joys of motherhood but no longer.

Recently Janice read about Dr. Naina Patel from Anand in India, who has become universally renowned for bringing about a surrogacy revolution. So last September, Janice headed to Anand to consult with Dr. Patel. Janice discovered to her delight that not only will she have a baby; she really does not have to anything at all except to pay for the service.

Here's how it will work? Dr. Patel will locate a suitable Indian sperm donor and then impregnate a healthy Indian female, who will carry the baby to full term and delivery. All Janice has to do is to show up nine months later and her pick up her ready-made baby. Janice will fork out about $30,000 for the service still cheap, considering that a similar procedure in Britain would cost $200,000.

In my personal opinion, since Janice will have no biological connection with her baby, I don't understand why she does not just adopt one. It could be that adoption agencies may be reluctant to give a baby to a single woman. Is there any law regarding this in the US?

Janice, at least, has the excuse for seeking surrogacy because she is medically unable to conceive. Some fertility clinics have been approached by perfectly healthy young women, who want to experience the joys of motherhood without the inconvenience of pregnancy and the agony of childbirth. They want an instant baby, as it were.

I am aware that we are living in an age of easy convenience and instant gratification, but this is carrying a bit too far.