Mona Mahta a-28-year-old woman with a BCom degree, earned lakhs of rupees in eight months. She is using the money to not only educate her two daug-hters but also prepare for exa-mination to get a bank job. But Mehta she is not just another working mother. She is a surrogate mom.
With Ahmedabad ranking only second to Anand in hand-ling surrogacy cases in India, several young and educated women like Mona are renting their wombs to earn money. With the money they earn, some start their own business, educate children or invest it in property.
Despite her Bachelor's deg-ree, Mona - who hails from Madhya Pradesh - could not land a job of her choice as she did not know Gujarati. Her hu-sband drives an autorickshaw and has to spend part of his income on paying the rental for the vehicle which leaves the family with limited cash. That is, till Mona opted for rent her womb to a foreign co-uple as a quick and legal alternative to make money.
"I have more than 150 surr-ogate mothers at my centre, of which 10 are graduates. They let out the wombs with their family's permission. More and more young educated women are opting for this method to improve their socioeconomic status," said Dr Kamini Mehta, infertility expert at Vani Hospital. Sushma Prajapati, 20, is BEd qualified and has already given birth to two surr-ogate children. "Her husband's income is inadequate to run the family and she cannot aff-ord to leave her only child alone at home so she opted for surrogacy," said the doctor. She also gave the example of Preeti Desai, a double graduate, whose husband is a computer trainer. She recently registered herself at an IVF clinic for surrogacy.
"As surrogate mothers are provided with medical insurance worth lakhs, which they can claim during any medical emergency even after del-ivery, women are willing to rent their wombs," experts said.
INVESTING IN FUTURE
This has opened a wide range of opportunities for educated women. Geeta Solanki, 23, started a catering business with the money she received after renting her womb twice. "She has hired 50 girls to help her with the business. She also extended monetary assistance to the family during the marriage of her sister-in-law," revealed Mehta.
She added that even women who dropped out of school are learning English to communicate with biological parents, usually foreigners. Surrogate mother Neha Jalla has studied till Class 8. "She is now learning English so that she can speak to the couple without the help of a mediator," said Mehta.
BABY FACTORY
India first opened its gate to surrogacy in 2002 along countries like Georgia, Russia, Thail-and and Ukraine, and a few US states where women could be paid to carry others' biological children. Currently, surrogacy brings millions of rupees to the country and according to medical experts. Around 80 percent of this money comes to Guja-rat. For every delivery, couples give the mothers anything between Rs 4 lakh and Rs 5 lakh. According to their agreement, the couple also pays for the daily expenses of the surrogate mother until the baby is born.
A PROFESSION?
Gita Aravamudan, writer of Baby Maker, a book on surrogacy which is based on a research for two years across several cities including Ahmedabad, said that many young and educated women are getting into the business which with passing time is changing into a profes sion. "Previously, there were many misconceptions about surrogacy but with spreading awareness, educated women who cannot go out to work are also getting into surrogacy," she told Mirror.For every de livery, a surrogate mother is paid between Rs 4 lakh and Rs 5 lakh. According to surrogacy law, a woman can conceive thrice with a gap of 2-3 years. So, a woman sitting at home can earn somewhere Rs 12 to Rs 15 lakh in just 21 months. "The sum is alluring. It is what is at tracting more and more women to let out their wombs," she added. (Names of surrogate mothers changed to protect their identity)
Despite her Bachelor's deg-ree, Mona - who hails from Madhya Pradesh - could not land a job of her choice as she did not know Gujarati. Her hu-sband drives an autorickshaw and has to spend part of his income on paying the rental for the vehicle which leaves the family with limited cash. That is, till Mona opted for rent her womb to a foreign co-uple as a quick and legal alternative to make money.
"I have more than 150 surr-ogate mothers at my centre, of which 10 are graduates. They let out the wombs with their family's permission. More and more young educated women are opting for this method to improve their socioeconomic status," said Dr Kamini Mehta, infertility expert at Vani Hospital. Sushma Prajapati, 20, is BEd qualified and has already given birth to two surr-ogate children. "Her husband's income is inadequate to run the family and she cannot aff-ord to leave her only child alone at home so she opted for surrogacy," said the doctor. She also gave the example of Preeti Desai, a double graduate, whose husband is a computer trainer. She recently registered herself at an IVF clinic for surrogacy.
"As surrogate mothers are provided with medical insurance worth lakhs, which they can claim during any medical emergency even after del-ivery, women are willing to rent their wombs," experts said.
INVESTING IN FUTURE
This has opened a wide range of opportunities for educated women. Geeta Solanki, 23, started a catering business with the money she received after renting her womb twice. "She has hired 50 girls to help her with the business. She also extended monetary assistance to the family during the marriage of her sister-in-law," revealed Mehta.
She added that even women who dropped out of school are learning English to communicate with biological parents, usually foreigners. Surrogate mother Neha Jalla has studied till Class 8. "She is now learning English so that she can speak to the couple without the help of a mediator," said Mehta.
BABY FACTORY
India first opened its gate to surrogacy in 2002 along countries like Georgia, Russia, Thail-and and Ukraine, and a few US states where women could be paid to carry others' biological children. Currently, surrogacy brings millions of rupees to the country and according to medical experts. Around 80 percent of this money comes to Guja-rat. For every delivery, couples give the mothers anything between Rs 4 lakh and Rs 5 lakh. According to their agreement, the couple also pays for the daily expenses of the surrogate mother until the baby is born.
A PROFESSION?
Gita Aravamudan, writer of Baby Maker, a book on surrogacy which is based on a research for two years across several cities including Ahmedabad, said that many young and educated women are getting into the business which with passing time is changing into a profes sion. "Previously, there were many misconceptions about surrogacy but with spreading awareness, educated women who cannot go out to work are also getting into surrogacy," she told Mirror.For every de livery, a surrogate mother is paid between Rs 4 lakh and Rs 5 lakh. According to surrogacy law, a woman can conceive thrice with a gap of 2-3 years. So, a woman sitting at home can earn somewhere Rs 12 to Rs 15 lakh in just 21 months. "The sum is alluring. It is what is at tracting more and more women to let out their wombs," she added. (Names of surrogate mothers changed to protect their identity)
