Baby’s price is negotiated

Happiness of motherhood is easy for some women. Others are being treated by doctors and witches for years in order to birth. The third who had tested everything turned to surrogate motherhood. It is controversial but the only opportunity to have a long-waited baby.

Citizens who made this step are sharing experiences with a half of heart and prefer not to mention their names.

Motherhood from poverty

A women, call her Irina is a single mother. Ex-husband doesn’t pay child maintenance. She rents an apartment and doesn’t have permanent job. Irina saw a very rare an pronouncement: “Looking for surrogate mother”. She phoned without hesitation.

“The conditions are not bad at all. Future parents promise to pay 250$ during 9 month for the apartment. After birth $7K will be paid once. Besides they are obliged to provide food and pay for any medical services,” she says.

“Our basic requirements are: age is 35, perfect health, from any ethnic group. It is very important that future surrogate mother understand that she is just an incubator and it not her baby. Many volunteers are calling to us and unfortunately it is revealed that many of them venereal diseases,” tells a biologic father. “I can’t deliver a child because of my health. During 2 years I’m going to Kazakhstan for artificial insemination. Once, one of fetuses “established” but later the pregnancy stopped. Me and my husband are not ready to adopt a child as we believe that we can have our own,” says a biologic mother.

According head doctor of Human Reproduction Scientific Center Aynura Azarova surrogate motherhood is undeveloped in Kyrgyzstan. “We don’t have necessary database that potential parents could choose a suitable candidate. There are no profile organizations on this issue. Artificial insemination can be done only in two hospitals in Bishkek. It is natural that both sides prefer not to speak about it as they afraid of stigmatization. As for surrogate mothers, most of them think only about money,” considers the expert.

Double-edged problem

Surrogate mothers are afraid that biologic parents won’t pay for a baby, and they are afraid of the surrogate’s maternal drive. Such obstacles cannot be regulated even in the most strict agreement.

According Ph.D and psychologist Lilia Panteleeva surrogate mother can forget about money and a sense of property could become a dominant. “Of course, it depends from personality but cold personalities are outnumbered. Not every woman could give a baby which was in her belly for 9 months. Psychological preparation is necessary for biological mother too as she may become very depressive because she couldn’t give birth by herself,” says the doctor.

“In Central Asia people have a specific mentality – surrogate motherhood is inappropriate way of having baby. In our republic we have a specific type of “surrogate motherhood”: poor families with a number of children give some of them to more wealthy relatives. It leads to further misunderstanding between children and parents can be worsened. And a clear agreement would help to avoid court,” considers Lilia Panteleeva.

(No)exchange relationships

Today in Kyrgyzstan surrogate motherhood is mentioned in Family Code and On act of civil status and On reproductive rights of citizens and guarantees of its realization. According regulations, woman of 20 of 35 years can be surrogate mother. In addition she must be psychologically and somatic well and go through health survey.

Partners concluding a treaty with surrogate mother can’t abandon child before its registration and if surrogate mother is ready to accept it. Partners must pay compensation to surrogate mother at the rate of an agreement.

According leading specialist of State Registration Service Elmira Soltonaeva she can’t remember episodes of surrogate motherhood recorded in Civil Registry Office.

By the way surrogate motherhood is prohibited in Austria, Germany, Norway, Sweden, and France and in some states of USA. In some countries this practice is based on nonprofit basis: Australia, Great Britain, Denmark, Spain, Canada, Netherlands, several US states. In Kazakhstan, Russia and Kyrgyzstan surrogate motherhood has profit basis.

In order to avoid two-way definitions of regulations, rights and interests of surrogate mothers and biological parents and exclude litigations between surrogates and biological parents State Registration Service has started to normalize some necessary regulations. Public officials offer NGO, medical institutions and law offices to participate in this project.

We’ve got interested in development of the project. It appeared that nobody accepted the officials’ offer. Thus, biological parents and surrogate mothers will struggle for baby by themselves. “…I offered biological parents to conclude an agreement but they refused. They said that they are very responsible people. Should I believe them? It would be difficult to bring up another baby,” worries Irina.