Paula Nicole Anne Marin BSN II I Ethics Professor: Lester O. Camacho

Kants Ethics and SurrogacyA week ago, I excavated a large cardboard box under my bed. It had been sitting there, untouched since I graduated high school. The box contained some DVDs, pictures, as well as some college stuff like my friction pen, which was what I was searching for at the time. Unaware where I placed it, I continued to search for it. Then, I saw the box and noticed a DVD of a movie top-billed by Tina Fey. The title is Baby Mama. Ive watched it before but almost subconsciously I read the plot at the back of the cover. The movie revolves around a woman named Kate (Fey), who hires an immature, obnoxious South Philly girl named Angie Ostrowiski (Amy Poehler) to become a surrogate mother for her, and thats where Ive gotten my inspiration for this journal. Actually, I was torn between Baby Mama and Bruce Willis Surrogate, but I went with the former since the latter is a bit far-fetched from our present surrogacy situation and it is very sci-fi. The term surrogate actually came from a Latin word surrogatus meaning, in place of another, which is not really far from how we define it today. Surrogacy or surrogate motherhood is a biomedical technique whereby a fertilized ovum is implanted into the uterus of another woman who will carry the baby to term. (Timbreza, 2007)

Kantian principles argued that surrogacy destroys the surrogate mothers integrity as a human being. In every aspect, man should be treated equally. He insisted that everyone has dignity rather than price. Human beings should not be reduced to things that are used. No person should be sold, especially in any form of slavery. Even if the consumer treats the purchased one well, it still does not justify purchasing or using a person. A woman who puts her uterus for rent merely function as a means, namely, a reproductive machine. Its like she is a stoller that carries a child with no identity. Surrogacy is morally wrong when we make use of Kants ethics since it is not universally applicable. It is very unlikely for all infertile women, that is, without exception, to hire surrogate mothers and for all fertile women to agree to carry other womens baby in their womb. Therefore, by applying Kants ethics, it is not a surrogate mothers duty to carry a baby even if she [the potential surrogate mother] agreed to do so, without regard to any consequences that such an action may yield. Surrogacy uses women as means rather than as an end which is highly unethical in a Kantian point of view. It leads to a purely selfish end and at the same time, doesnt benefit but only degrade surrogate mothers whole being. Personally, Ive never given surrogacy much thought. Not only am I too young but I never thought of its consequences. I watched movies but it never really justifies the difficulty of the situation at hand. Some prefer it over adoption since technically; the child is still genetically related to them or at least one of them. I can honestly say that I have no problem with it, but I do prefer gestational surrogacy instead of traditional and for course, both parties must have a signed contract. I think such conflict like that of Baby Mamas case rooted because of miscommunication and for surrogacy to work, the infertile woman should fully familiarize herself with the surrogate mother. A child, whether he or she was conceived through artificial insemination, surrogacy or adoption, is still a child. Some people steal because they cannot afford to buy,

while others borrow because they do not have. Everyone has that special something that they would like to have, so who are we to deprive a couple of a child? Its not as if the infertile couple is seeking an extra partner in their relationship in the form of the surrogate mother. As long as both parties, the couple and the surrogate mother, agreed, whether as a favor or for a fee, I guess there is no really an issue then. It is also important that the surrogate mother is not treated as just an object or a property to be exploited.