

Wombs for Hire: Does Commercial Surrogacy Exploit Women or Empower Families?
Offline Thoughts by Nessa Kwizera
S2 · E40
Jan 13, 2025
01:16:27
Episode notes
Surrogacy is booming—but at what cost? This episode looks at the dark side of the industry: the economic coercion of vulnerable women, exploitation in poorer countries, and the shocking ways in which surrogate mothers are treated by commissioning parents and surrogacy agencies.
Do couples who can't have children for whatever reason have the right to them? Even when surrogacy isn't commercialised or for-profit, is the choice by women to subject their bodies to pregnancy and birth the ultimate act of love, or a dystopian commodification of women’s bodies?
Key words: surrogacy, infertility, economic disparity, feminism, gay male couples, reproductive rights, celebrity surrogacy
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Keywords
Surrogacy
Commercial surrogacy
Wombs for hire
International surrogacy
Surrogate mothers
Surrogacy industry
Altruistic surrogacy
Economic coercion
Global surrogacy
Surrogacy laws
Surrogacy ethics
Surrogacy exploitation
Reproductive rights
Bodily autonomy
Surrogacy risks
surrogacy costs
Surrogacy and classism
Surrogacy and racism
Eugenics in surrogacy
Baby Gammy case
Celebrity surrogacy
Surrogacy in India
Surrogacy in Thailand
Surrogacy regulation
Surrogacy and adoption
Emotional impact of surrogacy
Surrogacy and LGBTQ+
Surrogacy trauma
Ethical alternatives to surrogacy
Foster care vs surrogacy