Why are South Korean couples traveling to India to have children through surrogacy?

This article explores why infertile couples in South Korea are traveling to India to have children through surrogacy, addresses the ethical issues of surrogacy, and emphasizes the need for national support and management. As a preventative measure, it suggests that young people should be educated about fertility prevention.

 

One in seven couples in South Korea is infertile, so infertile couples are increasingly using surrogacy to have children. Countries such as the United States and India recognize the role of surrogacy for their own women, and Indian women are especially preferred because they are cheaper and do not drink or smoke for religious reasons. As a result, Korean couples are increasingly traveling to India to implant an embryo made from their genes in the surrogate’s uterus and receive the child 10 months later. The agencies that organize these arrangements say that there are no problems because the contracts are legally complete and recognized by the Indian government, and they teach the couples how to register the birth as if they were biological parents when they return to Korea. In Korea, the legal and ethical burden is placed on the infertile couple if the surrogate woman claims parental rights to the child, but Indian surrogate women cannot claim parental rights under Indian law.
The issue of surrogacy is at the center of an ethical debate with both proponents and opponents. For couples who desperately want a child, having a child through surrogacy is a satisfying win-win strategy, as long as it is mutually agreed upon. For the other side, there are concerns about the commoditization of a woman’s womb, as well as the potential for mother-child attachment issues during pregnancy, health issues for the fetus or surrogate during pregnancy, emotional issues for the child, and disruption of family relationships.
The issue of surrogacy is a sensitive and inconclusive one, as there is no clear-cut ethical position. However, if surrogate mothers continue to appear as they are now, it is necessary for Korea to actively intervene as a country to help and manage them. We shouldn’t ignore the issue of surrogacy just by debating the pros and cons.
It is true that there are not many surrogate mothers in Korea due to the cost, social stigma, and paternity claims. Due to the country’s ambiguous stance and laws, it is a national and personal waste for couples to travel to faraway India to receive a child. To solve this problem, we need to help prepare them domestically.
First, there needs to be a government body to oversee the surrogacy process. This organization would match newlyweds diagnosed with infertility with volunteer surrogate mothers and act as a contract broker. The agency will examine the couple to discover the cause of their infertility and carefully determine if there is no other solution other than surrogacy. Surrogate mothers are strictly screened to ensure that they are in good health and have the right living conditions to manage a pregnancy, and only women who pass the screening are granted surrogacy. To avoid the commodification of women’s sexuality, the state should implement a system whereby the surrogate mother is paid by the state, rather than the couple and surrogate privately agreeing on a price. Also, while the surrogate is pregnant, the state should send a dedicated management team to check on the living conditions, nutrition, etc. of the child and the surrogate, and respond immediately to any problems.
While it would be difficult to legally legalize surrogacy, a governing body could register the surrogate and the couple, and obtain a written commitment from the surrogate that she will not claim parental rights, which could ease the couple’s anxiety. Finally, once the children are born, they can be followed and supported on an ongoing basis and, if necessary, reunions can be arranged between the surrogate and the child to help establish identity.
Of course, even with such national support, there will still be intractable humanitarian problems. When a man and a woman meet, create a cozy family, and have a child together, it is the happiest dream and connection between them. If they are unable to have children, they will feel a great sense of loss and sadness. I know this because I’ve seen it in my own life.
Before we can fundamentally solve the ethical crossroads of surrogacy, we need to educate fertile women and men about healthy lifestyle and dietary habits to prevent infertility. This education should not only be targeted at newlyweds and young women, but also through school education, including primary and secondary schools, public service announcements, and various media outlets. Prevention programs and guidelines should be introduced and disseminated at the national level.