Child born through surrogacy disputed. Catholic doctor: Children treated like merchandise

A couple from Mumbai fears the hospital swapped the infant. Indian doctor: "The moral, social and cultural aspects of surrogacy create uncertainty in relationships, especially in a couple who are desperately looking for a child".

Mumbai (AsiaNews) - A Mumbai couple asked the local high court for a DNA test on their child, conceived in a test tube and then the womb of a surrogate mother. The Indian couple doubts the paternity of the child and fears that a cradle exchange took place in the hospital.

Dr. Pascoal Carvalho, doctor and member of the Pontifical Academy for Life, denounces to AsiaNews: "With the surrogacy of maternity, children have become merchandise. Instead they are a gift, not a right ".

The child in question is just one month old and was generated from the sperm of the father and from the egg of a donor. Later the embryo was implanted in the uterus of the surrogate woman, who carried out the pregnancy in an "altruistic" manner, as required by the Indian legislation on the subject of rented wombs.

The couple, seven years married and childless, had turned to a hospital in Mumbai for IVF. For privacy, we do not know the name of the hospital. The complaint only states that parents are suspicious of doctors involved in the practices. According to them, the doctors have a "suspicious behavior", because they refused to take the surrogate mother to a specialized clinic, but kept her in a center where the doctor of reference works. However, the parents stated that they will take care of the child even if the analysis shows that it is not theirs.

According to Dr. Carvalho, "the importance of genetic bonding continues to influence surrogate and intentional mothers. Most children born through the rented wombs experience difficulty in preserving aspects of their identity, due to the involvement of an anonymous donor and surrogate mothers ".

A child conceived through subrogation, he continues, "is a human being with all rights. Unfortunately for those who promote artificial insemination, the "right to have a child" is often reached at the expense of the rights of the child and carrying out an act of violence against the dignity of the person ".

Furthermore, the Catholic doctor continues, "the moral, social and cultural aspects of surrogacy create uncertainty in relationships - uncertainties that become even more profound in a couple who are desperately looking for a child. It raises fundamental questions about what the life of the surrogate will be, and the child's psychological health and well-being ".

In the case in question, he concludes, "we see clearly that the relationship between parents and children began in a deplorable way with a note of suspicion. If it really is a case of exchange, the children involved and families will suffer unimaginable psychological stress. You think that [they will] have a whole life ahead and the trauma and consequences this will cause on everyone. "