MACMILLAN Towards a Professional Model of Surrogate Motherhood

This book delves deeply into modern surrogacy arrangements, responding to both practical and ethical critiques by offering a radically new model for surrogate motherhood. Current practice distinguishes between two models of surrogacy – the altruistic (unpaid) model and the commercial (paid) model, both of which present social, ethical, and conceptual challenges. This book proposes a novel arrangement for surrogate motherhood – the professional model. Inspired by professions, such as nursing, teaching, and social work, the professional model acknowledges the caring motives that surrogate mothers have while at the same time compensating them for their work. Walker and Van Zyl adopt an evidence-based approach to explain that the professional model enables trust between intended parents and surrogates, provides professional support at every stage of the relationship, affords legal protections against exploitation and commodification, and recognizes the rights and interests of all parties, including the intended baby. The model applies to both transnational and domestic surrogacy and will be of great interest to policy makers, social researchers, bioethicists, legal scholars, fertility professionals, clinicians, and graduate students in psychology, philosophy, medicine and ethics. Review “Walker and van Zyl (both, philosophy, Univ. of Waikato, NZ) have written a truly original and bold work. … Written in a clear, easy style, this volume is accessible to all readers, whatever their background knowledge of the issue. The book will be of particular interest to those in bioethics, law, policy, and medicine, and of course those involved in professions that deal with issues surrounding fertility. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers.” (J. McBain, Choice, Vol. 55 (6), February, 2018) Review “Towards a Professional Model of Surrogate Motherhood is a lucid and daring contribution to debate around the regulation and payment of surrogate pregnancy arrangements. Van Zyl and Walker propose an alternative way of viewing surrogate pregnancy, that goes beyond the established gift-commodity framework, to argue for an understanding of assisted reproduction and commerce as intimately intertwined. This is an important book that challenges the invisibility of reproductive labour and care work involved in surrogate pregnancy and will be essential reading for bioethicists, social scientists, and feminist scholars alike.” (Rhonda Shaw, Associate Professor of Sociology at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealan) From the Back Cover This book delves deeply into modern surrogacy arrangements, responding to both practical and ethical critiques by offering a radically new model for surrogate motherhood. Current practice distinguishes between two models of surrogacy – the altruistic (unpaid) model and the commercial (paid) model, both of which present social, ethical, and conceptual challenges. This book proposes a novel arrangement for surrogate motherhood – the professional model. Inspired by professions, such as nursing, teaching, and social work, the professional model acknowledges the caring motives that surrogate mothers have while at the same time compensating them for their work. Walker and Van Zyl adopt an evidence-based approach to explain that the professional model enables trust between intended parents and surrogates, provides professional support at every stage of the relationship, affords legal protections against exploitation and commodification, and recognizes the rights and interests of all parties, including the intended baby. The model applies to both transnational and domestic surrogacy and will be of great interest to policy makers, social researchers, bioethicists, legal scholars, fertility professionals, clinicians, and graduate students in psychology, philosophy, medicine and ethics. About the Author Dr Ruth Walker is a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Waikato,