7 things to keep in mind if you are opting for surrogacy like Preity Zinta
Preity Zinta and her husband Gene Goodenough welcomed twins Jai and Gia via surrogacy. The actress shared the news in an Instagram post. She shared a picture with her husband and wrote, “Gene & I are overjoyed & our hearts are filled with so much gratitude & with so much love as we welcome our twins Jai Zinta Goodenough & Gia Zinta Goodenough into our family.” In the post, she also thanked the medical professionals and the “surrogate for being part of this incredible journey.”
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For those who don’t know what surrogacy is: it is a process in which a woman agrees to carry a baby for someone else. The woman who carries the baby is known as a surrogate.
Preity chose the option of surrogacy for the birth of her twins. Surrogacy is not a new concept anymore. Many Bollywood stars have opted for surrogacy in the past few years. Shilpa Shetty, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Lisa Ray, Tusshar Kapoor, Ekta Kapoor and Karan Johar are a few to name.
BOLLYWOOD, PLEASE FACT CHECK!
Many Bollywood films have also tried to explain the process of surrogacy on the silver screen. The recent OTT release Mimi is one of them. But the movie is well-packed with misinformation. It fails to educate people about this important fertility option.
SO, IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO OPT FOR SURROGACY, WHAT ALL SHOULD YOU KEEP IN MIND?
Here are seven points.
1. Surrogacy is a boon for couples who struggle with infertility. As per the recently approved Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill 2020, a 'willing' woman can be a surrogate mother and need not be a close relative.
2. The bill also allows single women including widows and divorcees avail surrogacy, unlike the previous bill which only allowed infertile couples.
3. The 2020 Surrogacy Bill also made commercial surrogacy illegal. Unlike the film Mimi, only Indian couples can avail surrogacy in India.
4. It is illegal to abandon a surrogate child after the agreement is made between the two parties.
5. In India, a married woman having a child of her own between the ages of 25 to 35 years is eligible to become a surrogate mother.
6. A woman can surrogate only once in her lifetime.
7. A surrogate mother should possess a certificate of medical and psychological fitness and cannot provide her own gametes for surrogacy.