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Why altruistic surrogacy isn’t an ‘ethical alternative’ to commercial surrogacy
While altruistic surrogacy is touted as an “ethical alternative” to commercial surrogacy because the surrogate receives no financial gain beyond reasonable expenses, both altruistic and commercial surrogacy (when the surrogate obtains a fee) present the same moral dilemmas.
Even altruistic surrogacy as opposed to commercial surrogacy comes with inherent moral and practical dilemmas.
Some countries lack clear laws governing surrogacy, fail to provide post-pregnancy support, and have legal gray areas regarding parental rights as related to surrogacy.
The social stigma of infertility pushes many women toward considering surrogacy, especially involving a stranger. The women recruited for this are often exploited, and may be paid a fee even though it is not considered commercial surrogacy.
The trauma of surrogacy for the surrogate mothers and the babies cannot be understated; altruistic surrogacy does nothing to allay this problem.
Some countries may outlaw commercial surrogacy while allowing altruistic surrogacy.
For example, India and Thailand both allow altruistic surrogacy with strict restrictions. However, India prohibits surrogacy for foreign nationals, and surrogacy that it does allow usually entails a close relative functioning as the surrogate. Thailand banned commercial surrogacy for international intended parents in 2015. Both countries have made these legal changes on the pretext of safeguarding women from commodification and exploitation.
Nonetheless, from a pro-life viewpoint, altruistic surrogacy is unable to fundamentally address the inherent moral and practical dilemmas in the practice of surrogacy itself. It still commodifies the female body to conceive a child outside the conjugal union, undermining the welfare of children conceived, surrogate mothers, and society as a whole.
Surrogate mothers still provide “wombs for rent” in altruistic surrogacy arrangements and may be treated as “incubators” or “machines” to carry preborn children to term before giving birth to them and handing them over to their intended parents. In short, surrogate mothers in altruistic surrogacy arrangements still serve as “means” to the “ends.”
In addition, many Asian countries lack explicit and holistic laws governing surrogacy, putting surrogate mothers at risk of forced medical decisions such as compulsory cesareans. The lack of post-pregnancy support, as well as legal gray areas surrounding parental rights over surrogate children, further adds complications to the entire surrogacy process.
For example, China’s laws pertaining to surrogacy do not explicitly regulate surrogacy, giving rise to a huge underground surrogacy market despite regulations forbidding medical involvement in surrogacy procedures. A 2025 study published in PubMed found that “current regulations in China broadly prohibit surrogacy-related medical activities but fail to differentiate between healthcare professionals who actively facilitate surrogacy arrangements and those who fulfill their professional obligations to patients.”
Rather than eradicating the dangers of exploitation caused by commercial surrogacy, altruistic surrogacy conceals these problems.
Some studies have shown that surrogate mothers may feel pressured to become surrogates based on feelings of kinship obligations and familial ties, hindering them from truly obtaining informed consent about the surrogacy process.
Altruistic surrogacy also commodifies children by treating them as products born to fulfill the intended parents’ desires at the expense of the child’s dignity and welfare.
The social stigma surrounding infertility in Asia, particularly among familial networks, further calls into question altruistic surrogacy as a whole, as many infertile couples seek the services of surrogate mothers not related to them by blood ties to avoid the social stigma of infertility.
These surrogate mothers usually hail from less privileged economic backgrounds and will only provide surrogate services for a fee (a situation that ironically reeks of commercial surgery instead).
Even without financial gain, many Asian surrogate mothers, especially those who are less educated and less privileged, risk being exploited due to lack of informed consent, insufficient medical support, and lack of legal safeguards.
Additionally, surrogate mothers may be impacted by psychological trauma, as they carry and bond with the preborn children for nine months. When they have to give the babies to the intended parents, these mothers may encounter feelings of alienation, trauma, and grief that are not addressed by existing support systems.
Signed agreements between surrogate mothers and clients do not eliminate emotional bonds between surrogate mothers and the children they carry.
Surrogacy, even for altruistic reasons, fundamentally trivializes human life from the point of conception and facilitates the exploitation of women and children, who may suffer psychological, social, and legal consequences.
Follow Live Action News on Facebook and Instagram for more pro-life news.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
Why altruistic surrogacy isn’t an ‘ethical alternative’ to commercial surrogacy
While altruistic surrogacy is touted as an “ethical alternative” to commercial surrogacy because the surrogate receives no financial gain beyond reasonable expenses, both altruistic and commercial surrogacy (when the surrogate obtains a fee) present the same moral dilemmas.
Even altruistic surrogacy as opposed to commercial surrogacy comes with inherent moral and practical dilemmas.
Some countries lack clear laws governing surrogacy, fail to provide post-pregnancy support, and have legal gray areas regarding parental rights as related to surrogacy.
The social stigma of infertility pushes many women toward considering surrogacy, especially involving a stranger. The women recruited for this are often exploited, and may be paid a fee even though it is not considered commercial surrogacy.
The trauma of surrogacy for the surrogate mothers and the babies cannot be understated; altruistic surrogacy does nothing to allay this problem.
Some countries may outlaw commercial surrogacy while allowing altruistic surrogacy.
For example, India and Thailand both allow altruistic surrogacy with strict restrictions. However, India prohibits surrogacy for foreign nationals, and surrogacy that it does allow usually entails a close relative functioning as the surrogate. Thailand banned commercial surrogacy for international intended parents in 2015. Both countries have made these legal changes on the pretext of safeguarding women from commodification and exploitation.
Nonetheless, from a pro-life viewpoint, altruistic surrogacy is unable to fundamentally address the inherent moral and practical dilemmas in the practice of surrogacy itself. It still commodifies the female body to conceive a child outside the conjugal union, undermining the welfare of children conceived, surrogate mothers, and society as a whole.
Surrogate mothers still provide “wombs for rent” in altruistic surrogacy arrangements and may be treated as “incubators” or “machines” to carry preborn children to term before giving birth to them and handing them over to their intended parents. In short, surrogate mothers in altruistic surrogacy arrangements still serve as “means” to the “ends.”
In addition, many Asian countries lack explicit and holistic laws governing surrogacy, putting surrogate mothers at risk of forced medical decisions such as compulsory cesareans. The lack of post-pregnancy support, as well as legal gray areas surrounding parental rights over surrogate children, further adds complications to the entire surrogacy process.
For example, China’s laws pertaining to surrogacy do not explicitly regulate surrogacy, giving rise to a huge underground surrogacy market despite regulations forbidding medical involvement in surrogacy procedures. A 2025 study published in PubMed found that “current regulations in China broadly prohibit surrogacy-related medical activities but fail to differentiate between healthcare professionals who actively facilitate surrogacy arrangements and those who fulfill their professional obligations to patients.”
Rather than eradicating the dangers of exploitation caused by commercial surrogacy, altruistic surrogacy conceals these problems.
Some studies have shown that surrogate mothers may feel pressured to become surrogates based on feelings of kinship obligations and familial ties, hindering them from truly obtaining informed consent about the surrogacy process.
Altruistic surrogacy also commodifies children by treating them as products born to fulfill the intended parents’ desires at the expense of the child’s dignity and welfare.
The social stigma surrounding infertility in Asia, particularly among familial networks, further calls into question altruistic surrogacy as a whole, as many infertile couples seek the services of surrogate mothers not related to them by blood ties to avoid the social stigma of infertility.
These surrogate mothers usually hail from less privileged economic backgrounds and will only provide surrogate services for a fee (a situation that ironically reeks of commercial surgery instead).
Even without financial gain, many Asian surrogate mothers, especially those who are less educated and less privileged, risk being exploited due to lack of informed consent, insufficient medical support, and lack of legal safeguards.
Additionally, surrogate mothers may be impacted by psychological trauma, as they carry and bond with the preborn children for nine months. When they have to give the babies to the intended parents, these mothers may encounter feelings of alienation, trauma, and grief that are not addressed by existing support systems.
Signed agreements between surrogate mothers and clients do not eliminate emotional bonds between surrogate mothers and the children they carry.
Surrogacy, even for altruistic reasons, fundamentally trivializes human life from the point of conception and facilitates the exploitation of women and children, who may suffer psychological, social, and legal consequences.
Follow Live Action News on Facebook and Instagram for more pro-life news.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
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