Surrogacy is a wonderful thing and the women who are willing to put their bodies through pregnancy. Those people who help others to make families should be honoured. But, the latest idea is that brain-dead women be used as surrogates. For those unable or wanting to have their own children has understandably provoked controversy.
in this article, you’ll read:
- What is surrogacy
- What is brain-dead?
- Surrogacy using a brain-dead woman
What exactly is surrogacy?
Surrogacy is the process of carrying a baby for the benefit of another person or couple. Full and partial surrogacy are the two types of surrogacy.
When there is no genetic relationship between the baby and the surrogate, the technique is known as full surrogacy. Partial surrogacy, also known as direct or traditional surrogacy, entails using the surrogate’s egg.
Surrogacy is usually applied when it is difficult to become pregnant and give birth due to issues such as recurring pregnancy loss, womb absence, and others. It is also a valid option for male same-sex couples looking to start a family.
What brain-dead means?
Brain-dead is when a patient is declared brain dead, their heart may continue beating and their chest may rise and fall with each ventilator breath. The skin may be warm, and a brain-dead individual may appear to be resting.
These physical functions may be present in a brain-dead person since the physical damage is hidden in the brain rather than seen in the body.
Brain cells do not renew efficiently. This makes it more difficult for the brain to heal from damage. A stroke, heart attack, or head trauma can all cause serious brain damage.
When brain cells are permanently damaged, they cannot be restored. Brain death arises from significant loss of brain function.
When doctors proclaim brain death, they must make it plain to the patient’s loved ones that such care will cease, according to Caplan.
Mechanical assistance may be maintained for a short time to allow out-of-town relatives to visit the hospital and say their final goodbyes, he explains.
If the patient’s family agrees to donate the patient’s organs, artificial care may be required to keep the organs functional until they are removed.
The majority of you are asking if they can be revived. The answer is simply no; a brain-dead individual is simply dead.
Surrogacy using a brain-dead woman
According to a new article published in the Journal of Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics. Brain-dead people can be used as surrogates.
Professor Anna Smajdor of the University of Oslo in Norway, despite the possibility of a disturbing project, brain-dead women could carry through pregnancy.
The associate professor proposes a system similar to the donor organ registry. In which a woman would have to consent to have her body used for conception before it could happen.
Smajdor calls her proposal “whole body gestational donation” or WBGD – and says it is one “deserves serious study”.
The Colombian Medical College likewise shared the concept, but eventually backtracked and apologised.
Smajdor says that “we already know pregnancies can be successfully carried to term in brain-dead women” and that “there is no evident medical reason why initiating such pregnancies would not be conceivable,” referring to the ethical issue that currently exists in the field of surrogacy.
Catarina Sequeira, a former international athlete from Portugal, gave birth to her son Salvador in 2019, three months after being declared brain dead following an acute asthma attack. Salvador’s father stated that he was in good health at the time.
Dr. Smajdor admitted that her idea ‘may stand out as unacceptable from a feminist perspective’ since it ‘disassociates the functions of reproduction from the person’.
People’s reaction to the issue
Some commentators raised concern that if the hypothetical plan were implemented in the actual world. Women’s bodies would be utilised without their consent; however, this is not the case presented by Smajdor in her study.
It’s obviously created a bigger discussion on the ethics of surrogacy and organ donation as a result of several viral tweets on the subject. Some of which look to be ill-informed due to badly worded tabloid reports.
“Do we really live in a time where a cis woman I have to say if I’m ever in a coma and ruled ‘brain dead’ I do not condone/consent/want my body to be used to develop babies as a surrogate?” one user tweeted in response to Smajdor’s idea.
Actor, Nathalie Emmanuel tweeted, “Today, I saw a headline in the UK about whether women who are ‘brain dead’ could have their bodies used to grow babies in their bodies as surrogates without their consent.
A second is about prisoners in the US potentially being able to reduce their sentence by donating organs… We are done for. This is some dystopian… sci-fi… scary sh*t. This was too much for one day.”
Also read: Amazing birth photos capture family’s emotional journey through surrogacy
