Outsourcing Motherhood: India's Reproductive Dystopia

It's early morning in the mid western state of Ohio in the US, but Michael Morris (name changed on request), 54, is excited to talk about his "India experience". About six months ago, Michael and his wife, in her early 50s, had a daughter through a surrogate mother in Delhi. "The medical aspect was first rate; we were able to see the surrogate mother, she was healthy; everything went well," Michael tells me over the phone, before pausing and adding, "I know many people would not have had an experience like ours. But there are reasons for that."

For one, Michael says he had travelled through Asia before, and so, unlike "other Westerners", wasn't "intimidated" by the country and "the way things work here". More importantly, Michael says the couple had a "great facilitator" who arranged everything from the drive from the airport to a good IVF clinic in India. "Having a baby in international surrogacy is much like dealing in the stock market; if I know I have a million dollars to invest, I need to go...