Surrogate Mum is a project that analysis the moral and legal concept, problems concerning the rights of surrogate mothers and those of a person living in Romania in 2010.
The concept of surrogate mother – In vitro fertilization consists of harvesting eggs from the mother and sperm from the father. After the insemination, an embryo is formed, which is then transferred into the uterus of the surrogate – a woman other than the provider of the eggs. If her organism accepts the embryo, the surrogate carries the pregnancy. After birth, the baby is given to the parents that provided the genetic material.
In Romania, there are no specific laws concerning surrogate mothers. The very concept of surrogate mothers makes way for moral debates: the mother that has given birth to the child would consider the baby to be her own, while the biological mother might live under the impression that, in a way, it’s not her child. From a legal point of view, the birth mother has all legal rights over the infant (the mother’s name in the birth certificate, according to the Family Code, must be that of the woman who has actually given birth – and this aspect cannot be argued with, by law). Legally, only reproductively challenged women have the right to use a surrogate mother.
Thus, all these stipulations of Article 461 are an invitation to abuse. The minimum or maximum age not being stipulated means that couples from Western countries who didn’t have access to this procedure can now resort to it in Romania. The surrogate loses all decision making rights over her own body – she may not terminate the pregnancy without medical reference and, because of the social and economical situation, women may try to make a living by taking ‘jobs’ as surrogates. Also, it encourages discrimination, because single women do not benefit from in vitro insemination. If they are not married, the couple has to prove they have been in a relationship for at least two years, although there are no legal grounds on how this could be proven. Furthermore, a single woman has the right to adopt a child, but she’s not eligible for artificial insemination. And the list goes on…
RO
Mama surogat este un proiect care analizeaza conceptul legal si moral, probleme legate de drepturile mamelor surogat, implicit ale individului in Romania anului 2010.
Conceptul de “mama purtatoare / surogat”: Fertilizarea in vitro presupune recoltarea de ovocite de la mama si spermatozoizi de la tata. In urma fertilizarii in vitro, rezulta un embrion care este transferat in cavitatea uterina a mamei sau a unei “mame surogat” – o alta femeie decit cea de la care s-au recoltat ovocitele. Daca organismul ei accepta embrionul, mama purtatoare/ surogat poarta sarcina si, dupa ce naste, copilul revine parintilor care au contribuit cu “zestrea genetica”, care au conceput practic embrionul. In cazul mamei surogat, aceasta isi aduce contributia genetica (are loc fecundarea in vitro a ovulelor ei cu sperma altui barbat).
In Romania, nu exista un cadru legislativ care sa reglementeze problema mamelor surogat.
Ideea de mama surogat naste aspecte si dezbateri de ordin moral: mama care a nascut copilul, va considera ca este al ei, iar mama biologica, va trai cu ideea ca nu e copilul ei intr-un anumit fel, dar si juridic: deoarece mama care naste copilul are toate drepturile asupra lui (in certificatul constatator al nasterii va fi trecuta mama care a dat nastere copilului, acest fapt nu poate fi contestat de nimeni – conform Codului familiei). Legal, au posibilitatea de a apela la mama purtatoare doar femeile care nu pot face copii din cauza incapacitatii fiziologice sau la care n-au reusit fertilizarile in vitro.
Corelate, toate aceste prevederi ale articolului 461 sint o invitatie la abuz (din cauza neprecizarii virstei minime si a celei maxime, cupluri care nu aveau acces la aceasta procedura in Occident vor putea sa recurga la ea in Romania; mama surogat pierde dreptul de decizie asupra propriului corp: nu poate face avort in lipsa unei indicatii medicale; datorita situatiei socio-economice, femeile ar putea sa cistige bani din meseria de mama-surogat), dar si incurajeaza discriminarea (femeile singure nu au dreptul de a beneficia de inseminare in vitro; daca nu sint casatorite, cei doi trebuie sa demonstreze ca au o relatie de cel putin doi ani, insa nu este precizat cum se va proba acest lucru; o celibatara are dreptul de a infia un copil, dar nu si pe acela de a da nastere in mod artificial unuia). Si lista continua…
SILVIA TRĂISTARU 