Surrogate mothers of Anand will soon be the stars of the Oprah Winfrey show, one of the most influential TV programmes in the world.
Surrogate mothers of Anand, Gujarat, have delivered countless headlines in India by being part of a pioneering initiative to rent wombs to childless couples across the globe. They will soon be the stars of the Oprah Winfrey show, one of the most influential TV programmes in the world.
The show will trace the extraordinary social trajectory of the women, how they rose from their modest backgrounds and entered a life of plush comfort. And how, along the way, they provided immeasurable joy to scores of childless couples.
Winfrey’s team shot a 45-minute documentary, to be telecast on October 2, on the surrogate mothers of Anand last week. The work of Dr Nayna Patel, the counsellor who brought about the In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) surrogacy boom in India, will be one of the highlights of the film.
In all, Patel has over 50 women who have undergone surrogacy in the past two years. Some 15 of them, a few of whom are pregnant, were profiled by the filmmakers.
“I was amazed to hear that I will be a part of the most talked about international chat show,” said a 28-year-old surrogate mother who used the money from renting her womb to add a floor to her house in Anand. “Stories about middle-class surrogate mothers like me will not only promote our country as a medical hub but will also inspire other women to understand our decision to rent a womb.”
Patel said the lives of women who took up surrogacy have changed immensely. “Some of them have moved into their newly bought houses, and some have invested money to secure their children’s future,” Patel said.
A good number of salaried middle-class women in Anand have assumed surrogacy to boost earnings. In most cases, they get between Rs2.5 lakh to Rs5 lakh per delivery. In the US, surrogacy costs around $50,000 (Rs1,98,000), excluding medical bills and charges for agencies that find surrogate mothers. The cost consideration apart, childless couples across the globe choose India because of the refined cultural background of the middle-class surrogate mothers.
The programme featuring Patel and the surrogate mothers will be aired with a segment on an American couple – Jennifer and Kendall – who chose surrogacy in Anand.
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