What makes surrogacy like military service?
Posted by Marcy Darnovsky April 4, 2008
Biopolitical Times
The unexpected finding in Newsweek's cover story about surrogacy in the U.S. is the preponderance of military wives among the women who sign up to carry and bear other people's babies: "IVF clinics and surrogate agencies in Texas and California say military spouses make up 50 percent of their carriers."
As the article makes clear, a key force driving this phenomenon is money.
The article also focuses on the surrogates' desires to help other people, "to contribute, do something positive." Military wives are portrayed as particularly prone to such sentiments:
All the surrogacy business needs now is recruiters. But wait - they already have those:
As the article makes clear, a key force driving this phenomenon is money.
It is an act of love, but also a financial transaction….Military wives who do decide to become surrogates can earn more with one pregnancy than their husbands' annual base pay (which ranges for new enlistees from $16,080 to $28,900).Another factor is the nomadic nature of military life. According to one surrogacy broker, "Military wives can't sink their teeth into a career because they have to move around so much."
The article also focuses on the surrogates' desires to help other people, "to contribute, do something positive." Military wives are portrayed as particularly prone to such sentiments:
"In the military, we have that mentality of going to extremes, fighting for your country, risking your life," says Jennifer Hansen, 25, a paralegal who's married to Army Sgt. Chase Hansen…."I think that being married to someone in the military embeds those values in you. I feel I'm taking a risk now, in less of a way than he is, but still a risk with my life and body to help someone."In fact, there are additional similarities between surrogacy and military service. Both involve putting your body and health on the line for a cause. Both require giving up some of the autonomy that most adults take for granted: Other people claim control over what you eat, drink, and do; when and where you travel. And your commitment is 24/7 for the duration of the tour of duty: the only outs are AWOL in the military and abortion in a surrogacy arrangement.
All the surrogacy business needs now is recruiters. But wait - they already have those:
Surrogate agencies target the population [of military wives] by dropping leaflets in the mailboxes of military housing complexes, such as those around San Diego's Camp Pendleton, and placing ads in on-base publications such as the Military Times and Military Spouse.
I wonder if any of those leaflets are headlined "Looking for a few good women."
Previously on Biopolitical Times: