Ethics of Outsourcing Pregnancy to India – Michael Sandel

Complete video at: fora.tv Political philosopher Michael Sandel analyzes the moral implications of using poor women in developing countries like India as commercial surrogate mothers. Sandel challenges the audience to debate the ethics of outsourcing surrogacy as a profitable business. —– Harvard Professor Michael Sandel deliveres a speech titled “Markets and Morals” as part of the Chautauqua Institution 2009 Summer Lecture Series. He tackles some of economics’ toughest ethical questions …

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34 Responses to “Ethics of Outsourcing Pregnancy to India – Michael Sandel”

  1. yamuboy Says:

    Your statement suggested that most women in India wallow in poverty and take up prostitution. Where’s the data to back that stupid claim? I suggest you fix your spelling and write clearly so that you don’t come across as a little twat who’s eager to show off his/her internet assembled knowledge. This makes more sense: “Around the world women are more likely than men to be poor, and that has serious implications (access to education, HR, etc) especially in developing nations like India.”

  2. yamuboy Says:

    “A stereotype is a type of logical oversimplification in which all the members of a class or set are considered to be definable by an easily distinguishable set of characteristics.”

    Read your comment and the comments by
    peacerebelgirl in light of the definition above before you lecture someone.

  3. Mrmoc7 Says:

    Feminism has given women the desire to become men, short of changing their sexual organs.

    I only hope they realize that outsourcing their babies to Indian mothers is a temporary solution; eventually, those indians too will have a job, adopt feminism, and probably stop having your babies… Then, may be we’ll outsource human babies to gorilla mothers…all so that women can finally become men.

  4. Anjimom Says:

    Excellent points!

  5. Anjimom Says:

    AhAHAHA, funny.

  6. 1adadada Says:

    “lecture”, oh my goodness yamuboy you’re making me laugh!

  7. 16242T Says:

    You should study biology and then you would understand what I mean. Don’t be ignorant.

  8. purplecharger88 Says:

    I’d say it is equality. Both races can choose to be a surrogate. Once person because of there economic standing chooses to do it and others because of there economic standing choose not to. But your not talking about economic equality, which is imposable. Your talking about racial equality which is definitely present. Just because someone chooses to not to do something doesn’t mean they can’t or wouldn’t if need to.

  9. 16242T Says:

    That’s sad to see you even try to make this argument, but anyway,

    Racialism was conceived as a hierarchical concept and persists that way. It negates equality by its nature.

    Why is it so important to some young men that Americans have access to Indian womens wombs? It’s very weird.

  10. MrNh2009 Says:

    Why do you remove my comment ?!
    I thought that america is land of free speech
    there was no any bad language i use
    are you a fraid of truth.

  11. jaanusgirl Says:

    Feminism isn’t about becoming a man. It’s about being EQUALITY. Women do not desire male sexual organs, nor do women become lesbians to pose as men. There is so much diversity in the world that if one can’t comprehend this fact, then by simplifying this matter to just sexual organs you’re insulting people’s intelligence.

    Women in the western world are less fertile due to chemicals, pollution, eating habits, etc. Outsourcing pregnancies allows them to become mothers. It should be done ethically

  12. Mrmoc7 Says:

    “Women in the western world are less fertile due to chemicals, pollution, eating habits”

    Oh, but India is a land of noble savages without pollution, sanitation mismanagement, chemicals, or unhygienic eating habits, where the people are still *one* with nature. Is this a joke?

    Secondly, your first paragraph is a straw-man argument. I never made an argument in favor of the things you’re providing counter-arguments for. Reread what I wrote.

  13. Mrmoc7 Says:

    For your information, India is undergoing MASSIVE industrialization. Their atmosphere is MORE polluted than the ones in the states. Their water and sewage treatment systems are inferior to the ones you have in the states. Indian mothers are no more *fertile* than American mothers. The reason these women want to outsource their pregnancy is because it would interfere with their careers. Since men don’t get pregnant, women who are hell-bent on achieving *EQUALITY* see pregnancy as a drawback

  14. swastikstar2000 Says:

    No it is not a joke. I am from Gujarat, India I know there are mainly three classes of the people like in rest of the world viz. upper(May be over nutrition ed), middle(Balance nutrition ed ) and lower class(mostly malnutrition ed). Mostly in Gujarat middle class women are not orthodox will sometime fill pride to give some one chance to be parents and same time will be eager to earn some money since she need it being middle class.

  15. swastikstar2000 Says:

    1st of all my intention to tell reality to the people here. I agree that India is undergoing massive industrialization. Their atmosphere is more polluted than in the states BUT ONLY IN METRO CITY AND INDUSTRIAL CITY. Small town and villages are still natural or near to nature. Majority of Indian populations are still living in these small town and villages and enjoying eating three times a day home cooked foods(Not like preservative added frozen in states) and mostly vegetarian. contd…

  16. swastikstar2000 Says:

    Contd…

    Most people are under nutrition ed compare to the over nutrition ed US people still healthier than US people. I am in US since last 6 years and I am seeing people here in US are physically and mentally more seek than there in India (Specially in Gujarat).

  17. adamlivs Says:

    It has nothing to do with western women or indian women per se…The reality is that white women and men are becoming less and less fertile…They need to indigenous, black, brown and yellow women to birth their children because of how fertile our sisters are…They focus on India because white people understand there is a large population of black people there who are struggling under the yoke of globalization and the upper caste desire to be like white people, and they see opportunity…

  18. ClarksonsinUSA Says:

    We used IVF to have our twins in our 40s,my wife was the birth mother…………..I the genetic father…. We found a 23 year old egg donor that had the traits we wanted to pass on to our children… Bringing life where there was none is a good thing,and who knows maybe be the Europeans can slow or even stop their population slide..

  19. ClarksonsinUSA Says:

    The only reason fertility is lower in the WEST is due to the wide spread use of contraception as well as putting off having children 2 later in life…

    We have 7 sons …………..The last 2 through ivf,we gave 8 embryos to a Christian couple in the SOUTH…

  20. Mrmoc7 Says:

    You may be right, but I don’t see the world the way you do and it’s hard to fully grasp what you’re saying. Again, not saying ur wrong, just that we have very different world outlooks.

  21. anant14 Says:

    Just for the info….the Indian law does not allow a FERTILE/UNMARRIED/GAY (both Men)/couple to hire a surrogate……Also the surrogate should have already have had at least one healthy child and maximum of three…..

    Also, the birth mother can keep the child in case she changes her mind in the last minute…….the payment has to be paid in advance……

    I think this method is a boon for all infertile couples…..but adoption may be a nobler route for such people……

  22. Mrmoc7 Says:

    The birth mother can really keep the child resulting from an ovary that isn’t hers, from a sperm that isn’t her husband’s, just because she gave birth to it?

    Moronic law.

  23. ClarksonsinUSA Says:

    That’s crazy the birth mother is carrying another couples genetic child,I have never heard of that happening….. That would kill the baby carrying business in India,if that happened and the media got wind of it… That’s why America is a better place to do this,in a America a contract is a contract… My wife carried our twins through IVF,SHE IS 46.. We contracted a 23 year old girl from the mid west to donate her eggs,she was a cute little blonde with blue eyes…. Our twin boys are beautiful.

  24. ClarksonsinUSA Says:

    That is totally untrue,many just chose to have fewer children sometimes..You see we have chooses in our lives…In the West….

    My wife and I have 7 sons,the last 2 through IVF.
    The fertility clinic we used assisted us due to my wife being in her late 40s.

    Our twin boys are beautiful….

  25. edengard Says:

    Yes, adoption is a decent option, if the government would cut down on the massive regulatory restrictions preventing it. Friends of my family spent $25k trying to finalize their adoption, only to lose their kid to some technicality in an amazingly complicated system.

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