We were all
shocked to hear about the natural disaster which happened in Nepal, but another
unexpected and devastating news came out amidst this tragedy. Rescue operators
saved 26 new born surrogate babies and hundreds of surrogate mothers from the
mishap. This incident opened a Pandora's box of what is happening in Nepal in the
name of surrogacy. It was revealed that most of these babies belong to Israeli
gay couples and the pregnant surrogates were as well carrying their babies. For
comprehending this phenomenon, we need to understand the surrogacy laws in
Israel and Nepal.
Israel give
permission for gay civil unions and surrogacy. But in Israel, only heterosexual
couples can opt for surrogacy. But strangely, the law gives citizenship
to babies born to gay couples through surrogacy outside the country. This has
prompted a large number of gay couples to look for surrogacy outside
Israel.
Till 2012
India was a haven for the gay couples to get a child through
surrogacy. Compared to the European countries, India was a cheap destination
for surrogacy. But when the new Indian law which banned surrogacy for gay
couples was introduced in 2012, the scenario changed. The focus was
shifted to Thailand till the Baby “Gamy” episode and subsequent ban on
surrogacy for foreign couples in Thailand.
This changed
Nepal into the most sought after destination for surrogacy. But Nepal has
some rather strange laws for surrogacy. Surrogacy is allowed for foreign
couples, whether heterosexual or gay, it doesn’t make any difference. But for
the citizens of Nepal, surrogacy is banned. They cannot be intended parents nor
surrogates. Now this is a strange situation, which has been cashed by middlemen
in India. Girls from India are transported to Nepal to act as surrogates. After
birth, the child gets Israeli citizenship without any difficulty.
But after
the devastating quake in Nepal, the rescue flights carried the Israeli babies,
but the pregnant mothers carrying the Israeli babies were left in the lurch.
The hapless mothers were left to fend for themselves. This caused a word wide
uproar and the incident was termed as “Global Shame”
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