Dr Sheela Suryanarayanan, Associate Professor, Centre for Women’s Studies, University of Hyderabad spoke at the United Nations parallel event held at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), held at New York on 19th March 2022 on the subject “Surrogacy Act (2021) Policy in India and its Implications”. The panel on ‘Gender Equality, Public Policies and Surrogacy’ was organised by ICASM (The International Coalition for the Abolition of Surrogate Motherhood), Paris.

Dr Sheela Suryanarayanan spoke about the new developments in the Surrogacy Policy in India, prohibiting commercial surrogacy and permitting altruistic surrogacy. She pointed out the persistence of patriarchy and classism in surrogacy practices. While supporting the prohibition of commercial surrogacy, she critiqued altruistic surrogacy and certain clauses in the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act 2021 as well. The provision for Non-resident Indians to avail surrogacy serves to reiterate classism, she argued. The justification given for widows and divorcee women to avail surrogacy also reinforces patriarchy. Dr Suryanarayanan raised questions about the limitations in regulating sex-selecting abortions and racism in current surrogacy practices, and concluded that surrogacy amounts to reproductive injustice.

The Video link of Dr Sheela Suryanarayanan’s talk can be seen below :

 

Full video of the panel discussion can seen at https://www.facebook.com/mariejosephe.devillers.96/videos/381642300201621