Religions Oppose Surrogacy in India

(January 05, 2012) Christian and Muslim leaders have resented a reported move to popularize surrogacy in India. A popular actor had claimed at the birth of his son last month that he and his second wife had resorted to the method and wanted to popularize it. While some religions felt it was a grey area, Christians and Muslims said they were strongly against “mechanization of birth”. Having a child by any means is just not acceptable. The Church is against mechanization of birth, said Fr Susai Ariokiaswamy, a moral theologian. Surrogacy is morally wrong and does not follow Biblical principles, he said. Explaining why the church is opposed to it, he said in using the current technologies, including in vitro fertilization, there are chances of multiple births and non-survival of babies may occur. “No religion allows murder,” he added. Surrogacy raises not only ethical but also psychological issues, said psychiatrist Anita Chauhan. The surrogate mother often develops feelings for the child and at times may refuse to part with it. On the other hand, the real mother may tend to feel alienated from the child. “It’s definitely wrong and Islam does not tolerate any interference of natural child birth,” said India’s chief Imam, Umer Ahmed Ilyasi. “It was decided that surrogacy should be totally opposed as it is not consistent with the Shariat, the Muslim law,” said Ilyasi, who is also the president of the All India Organizations of Imams. Instead it is preferable to adopt an orphan and provide a good home to the child he said.