Gender Equality: Social Issues and Health Challenges in Today’s Context

In this paper, the author intends to throw light upon “Surrogacy”, which is an emerging concept which is having its repercussion throughout the world, to which India is not an exception. Surrogacy has been defined under the garb of Reproduction Rights in 2000 United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) as ‘The basic rights of couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly the number, spacing and timing of their children, to have the information and means to do so; and to have the right to make decisions concerning reproduction, free of discrimination, coercion and violence’ . Family is a bond of relationship, for many couples infertility carries a stigma with serious personal and social ramification. Infertility couples faces a serious rejection from the members of their family and friends, since there is a loss of lifelong dream of rearing children. The psychological trauma associated with infertility has created a great demand for a solution and the medical industry has responded with eagerness .Surrogacy is when another woman carries and gives birth to a baby for the couple who want to have a child. Infertility couples in America spend millions of dollars on medical treatments, including vitro fertilization, surrogate pregnancy, egg donation and a myriad of infertility drugs are now on the market. The outlines of this paper sprout out from the Historical aspects of surrogacy, International perspective on surrogacy (comparative analysis of various countries), International surrogacy arrangements, Legal issues regarding surrogacy across the world, Legitimacy of child with groundbreaking rulings of the concerned courts, India and surrogacy with special reference to The draft Assisted Reproductive bill-its present scenario, Commercial surrogacy and fertility tourism in India,Legalisation of Surrogacy in India-Indian Council for medical research guidelines, success stories about surrogate mothers, surrogacy and its implications, restraints in implementation of surrogacy laws ,covering recent trends with a through suggestion/evaluations.