Métodos de evaluación del error y parámetros de calidad

This section outlines the surrogacy decision-making process. It should be mentioned that surrogacy is looked upon as a stigma and a taboo, hence, to take a life-changing decision like surrogacy is quite difficult. There are some triggering factors including poverty, unemployment and education of the children, which compel women to become surrogate mothers. Have the two state governments taken steps in view of surrogacy cases taking place?

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Access to drinking water

Delhi Number Delhi % Mumbai Number Mumbai %

Graph 3.19

The graph above depicts that 27.85% of the respondents in Delhi and 46.91% in Mumbai stated that it is poverty that had driven them to take the decision to enter into a surrogacy arrangement. However, 15.82% of the surrogate mothers in Delhi, and 23.46% of them in Mumbai, stated that education of their children had been another driving factor to opt for becoming a surrogate mother. 26.58% of the respondents in Delhi and 17.28 in Mumbai had been approached by the agencies or clinics to become surrogate mothers. To sum up, poverty, approach by agents, unemployment and education of children stand out to be major compelling factors for surrogate mothers to enter into surrogacy arrangements. When we compare Delhi and Mumbai, while poverty, unemployment and approach by agents stand out as important factors for Delhi respondents; poverty, approach by agents, education of children and repair of existing house/building/new houses remain priorities for respondents of Mumbai to take surrogacy decision. 0 20 40 60 80 100 Poverty Unemployment Medical treatment Education of children Building new house Wanting to help a childless couple Self-fulfilment Experience of being pregnant Approached by 'commissioning parents' Approached by agents Opinions of relatives/friends The social stigma attached to surrogacy Experiences of other surrogate mothers Other Total

Factors that influence the surrogacy decision

Graph 3.20

The major source of information, in both the metros, for surrogate mothers about the surrogacy arrangements was by the agents, employed at the field level either by the surrogacy agencies or IVF clinics/hospitals, who lure them into this arrangement by showing them the ‗money‘ that they can earn form it by simply being pregnant and relinquishing the child within a period of 9 months, during which the clinic and the commissioning parents will bear the whole cost of the family of the surrogate mother. 73.77% of surrogate mothers in Delhi and 73.21% of them in Mumbai were approached by the agents. In Mumbai, 19.64% of total respondents were suggested by their family and friends about surrogacy. Long-term awareness of surrogacy (13.11%) and approach by clinic officials (13.11%) were other sources of information for respondents in Delhi. One major observation made by the research team during field visits was that surrogate mothers were very articulately chosen by the agents as they themselves lived in particular urban clusters for some time and had observed who are the needy and poorest of poor of the section of the community with proven fertility (more than one child) record and then target the woman by gaining her confidence as a sympathizer. This makes them easy prey as the potential surrogate mothers never doubt the intentions of agents. The agents always paint a rosy picture in front of the potential surrogate mothers who, most of the time, are semi-literate, hardly able to sign their own names. After handing her over to the clinic, the agents receive a hefty sum as the prize money. We often found slum areas from which many surrogate mothers would be

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Sources of information Delhi % Mumbai %

employed under the banner of a particular clinic/centre/hospital or doctor.

Graph 3.21

Since the matter is looked at as a social stigma and it is kept within the four wall of the house, the family member consulted most often of is the husband. We have already observed in this research that the majority of the surrogate mothers come from nuclear families. Hence, there is no need of sharing the decisions related to surrogacy with extended family members. Though the respondents told us that the decision to become a surrogate mother was taken by themselves (51.76% of respondents in Delhi and 73.02% in of them Mumbai), we found that it was the husband (48.24% of respondents in Delhi and 26.98 of them in Mumbai) who emotionally pressurized the wife to undergo surrogacy in order to buy a house (as most of them live in rented

chawls), or to set up a garage, or to start a business, or even to pay bribe to come out clean in a

criminal case, or simply for family maintenance.

Graph 3.22 0 20 40 60 80 100

Decision for Surogacy

Delhi % Mumbai % 0 20 40 60 80 100 Number % Number % Delhi Mumbai

Did the surrogate mother face any resistance from family/relatives?

Yes No

No Response Total

Some of the surrogate mothers (36% in Mumbai and 14% in Delhi) stated that they faced resistance from family and relatives; 76% in Delhi and 64% of the respondents in Mumbai said that they faced no resistance from their family and relatives.

Graph 3.23

For those respondents who said that they faced resistance from family and friends, the resistance was often from the side of the husband (53.33% of the respondents in Delhi and 68.75% of the respondents in Mumbai), or from parents (20% of respondents in Delhi and 18.75% of respondents in Mumbai), from in-laws (20% of respondents in Delhi) or children (6.67% of respondents in Delhi and 6.25 of respondents in Mumbai). It is interesting to note that husbands opposed the decision to enter surrogacy at the first instance, even if the money for maintenance of family is a big question. But, after they came to know that at the end of 9 months their wives are going to get Rs. 2.5-3 lakhs, they readily agreed for surrogacy, as if now their bodies are not being misused for this.