Surrogacy Globalscape

Abstract

The liberal feminist approach emphasizes that reproductive freedom is rooted in individual choice and autonomy. Assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) are perceived as an ideal measure to solve infertility. Importance is given to individualistic anti-statist approach, aiming to provide free access to all kinds of technologies to all individuals. Such open access is meant to be an important component of women’s empowerment. What is overlooked in this approach is that autonomy may be provided at the cost of marginalized people’s health and well-being. The liberal approach limits embodiment primarily to an individual level, hence, it is inadequate in analysing the complete social complexity of ARTs. Individual decisions are made within socio-political and economic contexts and people’s experiences are embedded in communities and histories. Although individual analysis is important in understanding micro-level complexities, it is also important to place individuals and communities within a macro context to be able to understand the broader patterns of marginalization and empowerment. This chapter examines the broader patterns of the surrogacy markets, its access and movements globally with an aim to understand its macro-level global reproscapes. Inhorn (2011) noted the relevance of Appadurai’s theory of global scapes to understand the cross-border landscape of assisted reproductive technologies. She reframes it as reproscapes and adds bioscape (moving biological substances and parts) to Appaduarai’s five global scapes; people (ethnoscape), technology (technoscape), money (financescape), images (mediascape), and ideas (ideoscape) (Appadurai 1996). Another layer of legalscape (laws and legalities) can also be added to the scapes.