The Medical Aspects of Gestational Surrogacy from a Holistic, Feminist and Mental Health Perspective

Abstract

In many of the scientific works favourable to the legalization of the so-called “surrogate pregnancy”, the risks that surrogacy poses for the health of mothers and babies are systematically omitted or minimized. Current scientific evidence shows that pregnancy leads to a definitive transformation of women and a biological exchange between the pregnant woman and her baby that goes far beyond the genes. The objective of this article is to make these biases and omissions visible and to describe the risks and consequences for the health of the surrogate pregnancy not only in the short term, but also in the medium and long term from a holistic and mental health perspective that takes into account the socio-economic context in which these practices occur. Pregnancy and childbirth are not a technique, nor can the masculine condition be considered a “structural sterility” whose treatment is surrogate pregnancy. The repercussions of surrogate pregnancy for the health of mothers and babies should be studied from the bio-psycho-social model, including the short, medium and long-term mental health of mothers, babies and their families.