Saturday June 27, 2009

Surrogate way to survive the hard times

State Side by LIM AI LEE

UNLIKE most celebrity mums, getting back into shape is the least of Sarah Jessica Parker’s worries following the birth of her twins.

The Sex and the City star and her husband Matthew Broderick became proud parents of two bouncy girls – Marion and Tabitha – on Tuesday. The stork may not have delivered the babies, but a 26-year old surrogate mum living in Ohio certainly did.

Parker, 44, has publicly admitted having difficulty conceiving since the birth of her son, who is now six.

Last month, she appeared on a TV entertainment programme, revealing that she and Broderick, 47, had explored various options to expand their family and finally opted for the surrogate route.

After news broke about her surrogate arrangements, the surrogate, Michelle Ross, became a target of papparazi. Last week, her home was allegedly broken into by two senior police officers who are now under investigation for trying to sell photographs and information to the tabloids.

The real-life drama has not only provided fodder for the media but has once again put the spotlight on surrogate motherhood, a practice once frowned upon but which seems to have gained acceptance in recent years.

The question of morals and ethics still crops up when surrogacy is discussed as it challenges the most basic concept of motherhood.

Some quarters regard it as tampering with the creation of life while others decry the act as a rent-a-womb service.

Proponents, however, view surrogacy as a “gift of life” for infertile couples. Some even see it as an act of altruism.

Most agencies handling surrogacy cases also offer emotional and psychological support to surrogate mothers as it is not easy for a woman to break the bond with a baby she has carried for nine months.

In traditional surrogacy done via artificial insemination, a surrogate uses her egg and another man’s sperm.

Gestational surrogacy, which has less legal complications, involves implanting another woman’s fertilised eggs into the surrogate’s uterus.

According to reports quoting industry experts, over 1,000 surrogate births took place in the United States last year, and it is believed the number has increased since the recession, as more cash-strapped women turn to surrogacy to ease their financial burden.

A surrogate may receive between US$20,000 (RM71,000) and US$40,000 (RM142,000) for carrying a baby to full term, while the total cost to the recipient couple may be anything from US$40,000 (RM142,000) to US$120,000 (RM426,000), including medical and legal costs.

Surrogates are not the only assisted reproduction cases on the rise. The economic crunch has also prompted more women, especially college students, to earn extra money by selling their eggs. Men are apparently doing the same with their sperm.

But while a female donor receives between US$5,000 (RM17,750) and US$10,000 (RM35,500) for each egg donation, men are paid much less for their sperm – an average of US$85 (RM302) to US$100 (RM355) per donation.

Many egg or sperm donors include college students trying to raise money for their tuition fees or those who have lost their jobs or need to supplement their income.

Some are mothers trying to make some extra income to cover rising costs.

In a recent episode of the Tyra Banks chat show on how to make money in hard times, the issue of women selling their eggs was raised.

More than half of the female audience raised their hands when asked if they would resort to the unconventional measure for extra income.

For many young donors, especially college students, donating egg or sperm is regarded as a medical experiment where they are paid.

In fact, egg donation has become so common that it is now a thriving industry. Many agencies and established medical facilities in the United States, have websites to make it easy for women to make enquiries or submit online applications.

Most sites are equipped with Q & A to handle medical concerns and even touchy issues like ethics.

The Cornell Egg Donor programme under Cornell University promotes the experience as “something very special,” saying a donor literally gives the gift of life.

In addition, the donor would be compensated US$8,000 (RM28,400) for her time and effort and receive free medical screening.

The North East Assisted Fertility Group, similarly tries to dispel any ethical doubts would-be donors may face.

“Each donor’s generosity is rewarded in many ways. By becoming an egg donor, you may help individuals or couples achieve the families they have always wanted,” said its online advisory.

Most agencies have specific requirements, candidates must be healthy, college educated, between the ages of 21 and 29, have reasonably good looks, as well as be non-smokers and free of hereditary disease.

Donors of Caucasian and Asian ethnic backgrounds are usually the most sought after.

In extreme cases, young women and men sell their eggs or sperm to pay off their credit card debts.

One donor, a 23-year-old unemployed actress identified as Nicole appeared on the Early Show recently, saying she opted to sell her eggs after the fall of the economy hit her “really, really hard.”

Nicole, who expected to make US$10,000 (RM35,500), said she felt encouraged after speaking to a friend who had sold her eggs six times, the maximum allowed. “I have school and credit cards debts (to pay), and New York is one of the most expensive places to live in,” she lamented on TV.

Desperate times, as they say, call for desperate measures.

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