There was an article in The Star on the busting of the syndicate which practically deals with babies!* One will inevitably ponder on how it is actually done! for the unitiated, baby 'factories' are just that: syndicates that actually produce and harvest babies for sale to parents in need of babies!
How this is done is rather simple. The syndicate itself is a family-run business, and couples desperate to have children but are somehow unable to will seek their help. the business will then have groups of employees, usually immigrants from indonesia or some other country, lured by the prospects of cash, and will therefore allow the husbands of the families to consummate with the employees, who will then bear the babies which shall therefore be sold to the parents. the employees will also get commission for their work done in bearing the babies.
Yes, on first glance i agree with almost anyone out there that this is such a despicable act that would rile up anyone who reads it. Especially since the parents are charged rather exorbitant rates, and the employees were lied to and given extremely low rates for the services offered. It somehow defiles the sacred act of childbearing and is a wanton disregard for the services offered by the employees, who risk their life bearing a baby they will most probably never see anymore in their lives.
But i implore all of you to open your minds and broaden your views on this matter. Sure i agree that the involvement and abuse of money in the process is what taints this 'business', but in truth, it does seem like a noble cause, doesnt it? (i am strictly speaking on the basis of the essence of what they do, not how they do it)
Firstly, they are actually offering an alternative to laboratory means of procreation. What i mean is that it is still somewhat similar to In-Vitro Fertilization, or test-tube babies, whereby a third party helps in the creation of the baby, but you will not have to deal with the stigma that the baby you have with you was actually created by doctors or some rather artificial means; it is all natural!
Secondly, instead of adoption, which is still something that goes on till this very day, parents who resort to this method might have the view that it is done so that the child will still have an inkling of the parents blood, albeit only one of the supposed two of them. So there would still be a bloodline to carry on and pass down, even though it is not perfect per se, as compared to an adopted child, who usually has no blood ties to the parents at all (unless they adopt a child of a relative, that is).
Thirdly, it would most probably still be cheaper and more confidential than resorting to hospitals like the private sector, might cost an arm and leg, whilst in the public sector, it has its own flaws. With this business, the cost of the baby is around RM 10,000 to RM 20,000, and there are no questions asked or no forms to fill at all, which would most probably help them with their confidentiality. This is opposed to hospitals, with the endless form-filling and procedures that have to be followed. In short, it is a no-frills procedure of getting a child!
So all in all, on a basic level, if we were to take out the whole cost and financial factor, i actually opine that it is a rather noble thing to do. But yes, if we put in the element of religion, we know that it is still something that is looked down upon, especially since the husband has to physically perform the sexual act with the employee to conceive the baby. This, in a way, is akin to zina, and one would just have said that the husband should have just married another.
But in the end, i do agree that it is still a very tightly wound issue, and these are merely opinions of my own. It would be great to hear opinions from all of you who read this post. What say you? Do you agree with me/disagree/agree to disagree? Bring forth some points of your own to broaden the whole view of this matter, so we might come to a conclusive opinion together :)
Happy reading and pondering!
EzzE
*Actual article can be read here - http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/12/16/nation/5311476&sec=nation
heyya, ez. we are supposed to read this from a viewpoint that disregards the exploitation part of the whole transaction and focus solely on the human aspect of it, right? so, this is how i see it.
ReplyDeleteas noble as one might claim oneself to be, one cannot say that one had done it without selfish reasons. yes, the idea is to help couples who are ready but unfortunately not blessed with children to actually fulfill their dream. but, on the other side, you cannot say that you are facilitating them out of the goodness of your heart. if you were, then you wouldn't have charged them for taking the baby at all. it is selfish and cruel to take advantage of these poor couples who would do anything to have babies of their own.
but then again, i think it is sad at what our society have become. where have the conscience of these people gone? where is the compassion? i know that the couples want their own children, and these people readily caters to their demands. but, in the end, it is the children who would suffer.
as if not knowing who the other parent is not enough, they would have to go through their life feeling lost and not to mention, if the truth broke out, they would be subject to social stigma.
it is unfair to subject the children to any suffering even before they were born. sometimes, i think it is better to be a childless couple then to resort to all sorts of ways to get a child and have the child resent his or her existence in this world.
but, i think most importantly, people need to have faith. society have become faithless that they have to resort to all these methods. what happened to the times of the Prophets when couples would pray years on end to be blessed with child? if they were blessed with child, even in their old age, they would thank Allah s.w.t. for it. believe in the power of prayer. Allah will help those who ask for it.