Make a choice correctly!

India is one of a few countries, though perhaps the most popularized, where commercial surrogacy is legal. The country emerged as a “hotspot” in part because of lower costs and laws passed in 2002 allowing commercial surrogacy. But amount rarely includes unforeseen expenses like surrogate hospitalizations, or the basic travel costs such as flight and hotel stay.

Exact numbers of U.S. citizens going to India - or anywhere else - for surrogacy. Surrogacy in India is largely unregulated, though the Indian Council of Medical Research is moving toward greater control, including the registration of clinics. An estimated 2,000 foreign babies are born to Indian surrogates each year, according to research. But tighter restrictions may alter the scope of India’s surrogacy tourism. In July 2012, the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs ruled that foreigners needed medical, not tourist, visas to pursue surrogacy. The ministry limited those visas to straight couples who've been married at least two years, and who come from countries that also permit surrogacy. The rule change amounted to a bar on singles, gay, and unmarried couples, and on those circumventing their home laws to have children.

Thailand and the Mexican state of Tabasco, two places where surrogacy clinics now cater to international singles and couples - particularly same-sex couples. Thailand has been a popular surrogacy choice for Australians, but has become more appealing to Americans because of the new restrictions in India. In Thailand, where surrogacy is de facto legal there are no laws against it, but that also means few protections in place for surrogates, doctors, and expectant parents.

As for Tabasco, many people say they have outstanding questions. It’s still new. So everybody’s starting to flock there and flock to Thailand. The stories will soon start coming out, the good stories and the bad stories.

No matter the destination, real risks exist. Clinics sometimes make false promises about results, or inflate success rates. Would-be parents can spend tens of thousands without ever having a baby.

Citizenship laws also haven’t kept pace with reproductive technology or global access to it. Children born to surrogate mothers in India are not considered Indian citizens. But the U.S. grants citizenship to children born to surrogates only if they have a genetic link to at least one parent. Yet DNA mismatches - because of lab error, or when eggs or sperm are deliberately substituted to increase the chances of a fertilized embryo - have left babies "stateless," unable to obtain an Indian or U.S. passport. If you don’t have a passport, you can’t get on an airplane and come home.

But the surrogates also face risks. Because these women are paid, many see surrogacy as a pathway out of poverty. It raises the status of them in their whole community. It is a positive thing. But women can miscarry, or develop health problems during and after pregnancy. Clinics don't always provide follow-up medical care or compensation for families if something goes wrong.

(http://www.newrepublic.com/)