An Indian national, Kopila came to Nepal nine months ago to become a surrogate mother. Since day one of the pregnancy, she began a countdown to the delivery date. For Ghosh and her family, the baby's arrival means a secure and happy future."I'm super excited as I will deliver any day now and my client will come to take the baby," said Ghosh adding that she cares about the baby as if it were her own. "It will only become somebody else's baby after being born. I will even breast feed the baby if the actual parents allow it," she explains.
The 35-year old woman considers herself fortunate for having been able to use the 'god-gifted' quality of giving birth for the sake of her family's happiness. For her, coming to Nepal and becoming a surrogate mother was far better than toiling away for hours in the scorching heat in Delhi.
Ghosh used to work as a housemaid in Delhi. She used to work in 15 homes and earn up to 10 thousand Indian rupees a month. Her husband, a rickshaw driver, is back home in Delhi and makes 300 Indian rupees a day.
The couple, originally from Murshidabad, West Bengal, came to Delhi three years ago. Ghosh opted to become a surrogate mother after the couple's earnings weren't enough to give their two kids a decent life and provide education opportunities by sending them to school.
Ghosh, who was married off at the tender age of 13, recalls those painful days when they didn't have a single rupee in hand. "We don't even have a piece of land in West Bengal. After we couldn't improve our living standards, we came to Delhi so that we could look after our children," she says.
In Delhi, she met a woman who had just returned to Delhi from Nepal after getting paid a lot of money for being a surrogate mother. "When money is your priority, you have to accept what life offers," she said.
Being a surrogate mother came at a huge cost: She had to leave her family for a year and carry somebody else's child. But it was a price she was willing to pay when all the other options seemed to be a lot worse in comparison. "My husband and I realized that if I did this, we would be able to earn good money and build a small house. We would also be able to save money for our daughter's marriage," explained Ghosh.
A room inside a three-storied house in Dhapasi, Tokha, has been her home for the last nine months. More than 27 Indian surrogate mothers, many of them already pregnant and some still waiting to conceive, are also living in the same house.
"I miss my family and home. I talk to my husband on the phone quite often and he's coming to Nepal to take me home next month," she said adding that she is prepared to go back to India immediately after delivering the baby, happily clutching a 'handful' of money.
She has already mentally started preparing for Diwali celebrations as she thinks she can fulfill her children's demands this year and this thought has given her additional strength. "This year will be different than before. I will buy some nice clothes for my children. Thanks to this baby, I can finally make my family happy," she shared.
Social stigma vs. family happiness
Kalpana's decision of becoming a surrogate mother is linked with her family's happiness. But this happiness comes at a price: She has to face a lot of social stigma once she's back at her village.
Neither will her husband's relatives be accepting of what she has done, nor will the neighbors go easy on her. "For now, I want to keep it to myself. I will tell them when I think the time is right," she said.
However, she isn't worried much as she chose to do this with her husband's consent. "I know I haven't done anything wrong but the society won't understand," she added. She conceived the baby by implanting an embryo that was developed outside her body. However, she is unaware about the genetic parents of the fetus she is carrying.
After returning to her village next month, she plans to rest for the next two to three months before resuming her work as a housemaid again. "The money I will make from this stint as a surrogate mother won't be enough for a lifetime though. I will have to resume working as a housemaid once again," she said.
Ghosh added that she is ready to come to Nepal again if she gets the opportunity to become a surrogate mother once again. For now, she plans to take a photo of the child and take it home with her.
Surrogacy in Nepal
Indian women are brought to Nepal for surrogacy purposes by various agents working for private hospitals and service centers in the country. There is currently no law on surrogacy in Nepal.
Private hospitals and agents have been providing surrogacy services for several years. Last year, the government decided to allow hospitals to provide surrogacy services if both the couple and the surrogate mother are foreigners, but no law has been formulated on surrogacy till date. After the legal controversy, the Supreme Court has issued an interim order to halt surrogacy services.
The Personnel Administration Division (PAD), at the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP), has been found issuing authorization letters to some of the major hospitals permitting them to run surrogacy services in Nepal. The PAD is not an authorized body to issue such letters.
After surrogacy was banned in Thailand and the legal complications in India, Nepal is emerging as a hub for commercial surrogacy in Asia. After India prevented gay men and couples who had been married for less than two years from opting for surrogacy in 2013, Nepal has become the destination for surrogacy, mostly for Israeli citizens.
Also, the reasonable price of surrogacy in Nepal is another contributing factor for foreigners flocking here. Surrogacy costs up to $150,000 in the U.S and Canada. This compared to meager $35,000 in Nepal is another factor that compels couples to opt for surrogacy in Nepal.
Hospitals like Grande City Clinic (GCC), Grande International Hospital, Om Hospital and Research Center, and Venus Hospital among others have been providing surrogacy services for many years. These hospitals are charging anywhere between Rs 3.5 million to Rs 10 million for providing surrogate babies to the nationals of developed countries. A surrogate mother receives a maximum amount of Rs 700,000 ($7,000).
The first surrogate Israeli baby was born in Nepal in January, 2014. The GCC has already dealt with 40 cases of surrogacy till date whereas the other hospitals refuted claims that they have been providing surrogacy services. However, a record at the Department of Immigration (DoI) shows that at least 70 surrogate babies have been taken from Nepal since February, 2014.
shresthas.shree@gmail.com
Related story
Expecting mothers and new mothers found receiving less counseli...
-1779250876.webp)
