(revised) Annotation 1: Surrogacy is helpful for survival and gives hope to people (both surrogate mother and the clients)

      As the film reveals, some women earn money as surrogate mothers, especially in India and for those who are poor and uneducated women. This new kind of career gives them hopes and encouragements for living, and they can even earn more money than the normal women earn.

      As the situation said by Dr. Ranjana Kumari, a women's right activist in India, in the film, it seems there is no other proper way for them to survive, but we can learn that many women also find a new career as surrogate mothers to brighten their way to the future. They can afford their own children's education, the cost of taking care of their parents, and of course the life themselves.

      However, some people are worried about the surrogate mothers somehow have intimate connections to the children, how do they feel if they send the children back to their parents? I think those women who take the surrogate mothers as career are something like we work for our normal jobs, we don't have strong emotional or intimate connections or feelings to the results we work out, we just take the jobs in order to afford ourselves. Moreover, the children even do not have strong biological connections to the surrogate mothers besides the children are growing up in their wombs. On the other hand, I think to be a "mother" is different. The children's genes are ourselves, that is the children have intimate connections to us. We always treasure those who have strong feelings or intimate connections to us, thus I think this kind of relationship between mothers and children is more inseparable.

      Otherwise, taking the surrogate mothers as career is more vivid in India because it's legal to have surrogate mothers and it's more cheaper there for people to have surrogate mothers to give birth to their children.

      On the other hand, not only the surrogate mothers gain hope in their life, the original parents also receive happiness. They will have little adorable gifts that they may not have before. This is wonderful for those who want to have their genetic children but they can't to fulfill their dream. We can see the delighted smiles on the parents' faces who use surrogate mother in the film, they solved the problems of vibriosis and had a happy life, so why don't we use surrogate mothers and make it legalized in Taiwan? Although some people may think we can adopt a child to solve the problem, I think the adopted children and the genetic children are totally different because the adopted children do not have biological connection to the parents. For some people's concerned, this is an important point to them. However, there are also some people do not care about it, so it's decided individually. Thus, why don't we use surrogacy to provide more various methods to solve the problems of vibriosis?

Peer Response (1)

(1)Ken

 [Comment 1]

It might have some problems to use surrogate mothers. In my point of view, because it is the surrogate mother who gives birth to the child, just weird.

 [My response 1] 

Although it's the surrogate mothers who give birth to the child, the genes are still yours and your wife's, so I think it's not strange to have a child through this way.

 [Comment 2] 

What about the surrogate mothers? Because maybe she may has some emotional connections to the baby, even when she is pregnant.

 [My response 2] 

Yes, this is the negative views, and I will talk about it next. But I think although it is really a problem, those women who will take the surrogate mothers as their career, they may have the minds or preparations to overcome it. If they don't, they may not choose to be the surrogate mothers.

(2)Dr. Mei-Ya Liang

 [Comment 1] 

Mothers can be defined by birth and also can be defined by career, so can you talk a little bit about the different definitions about motherhood?

 [My response 1]

I think those women who take the surrogate mothers as career are something like we work for our normal jobs, we don't have

strong emotional or intimate connections or feelings to the results we work out, we just take the jobs in order to afford ourselves. Moreover, the children even do not have strong biological connections to the surrogate mothers besides the children are growing up in their wombs. On the other hand, I think to be a "mother" is different. The children's genes are ourselves, that is the children have intimate connections to us. We always treasure those who have strong feelings or intimate connections to us, thus I think this kind of relationship between mothers and children is more inseparable.

 [Comment 2] 

And, also about the adoption, because the related phenomenon is adoption.

 [My response 2]

But I think the adopted children and the genetic children are totally different. Because I think the adopted children do not have biological connection to the parents. For some people's concerned, this is an important point to them. However, there are some people do not care about it, thus it's decided individually.

 [Comment 3]

We have some debates between relative importance between nature and culture. So, you are who you are because of what? What make you a good person or what make you a educated person?

 [My response 3]

I think our personalities are defined by ourselves and influenced by many environmental and cultural reasons. Thus, we are ourselves because we want to be like that, it has little connection

to nature. The nature just defined our gender, not our personalities and values.

(3)Tim

[Comment]

So, what's wrong with surrogacy? And, who is against them?

[My response]

 Because being a surrogate mother may do harm to their health. It's dangerous to be a surrogate mother. I will find more reliable resources to explain about it.

(4)Vivian

 [Comment]

I'm just wondering if mothers who do not give birth to their own children, do they have strong relationship to their own children?

 [My response]

It's a thoughtful point to me, I haven't thought about it before. You give me a good idea to extent to the context of my paper, thank you. I think, you're right, mothers may not have strong connection to the children because they don't experience the process of bearing the children, including the pain and the morning sickness, and they even don't know the feeling of the quickening of the womb, thus as you mentioned, they may have no strong relationship to their own children. And, that's the disadvantage of using the surrogate mothers.

Annotation 1: Surrogacy is helpful for survival and gives hope to people (both surrogate mother and the clients)

        As the film reveals, some women earn money as surrogate mothers, especially in India and for those who are poor and uneducated women. This new kind of career gives them hopes and encouragements for living, and they can even earn more money than the normal women earn. "Because they are poor, because they are available...to…...to..., they have challenge to survive. For survival, they have to sell out their womb and give it to people who exploit it", said Dr. Ranjana Kumari, a women's right activist in India. Thus, it seems no other proper way for them to survive, but we can learn that many women also find another brighten way to the future as surrogate mothers. They can afford their own children's education, the cost of taking care of their parents, and of course including the life themselves. Otherwise, this situation is more vivid in India because it's legal to have surrogate mothers and it's more cheaper there for people to have surrogate mothers to give birth to their children.

        On the other hand, not only the surrogate mothers gain hope in their life, the original parents also receive happiness. They will have little adorable gifts that they may not have before. This is wonderful for those who want to have their genetic children but they can't to fulfill their dream. We can see the delighted smiles on the parents' faces who use surrogate mother in the film, and we know that there is also a family to have their new joy. We can see that they solved the problems of vibriosis and had a happy life in the film, so why don't we use surrogate mothers and make it legalized in Taiwan?  

(Revised Version) Should Surrogate Mother Be Legal in Taiwan?

        Nowadays, we face many problems and dilemmas in our surroundings, and we sometimes even can't come up with a solution to it, especially the events which have connection with technology and morality. Nowadays, the scientists invent a kind of technology that can make a couple bear their children in other women's womb. That really is beneficial for many people. In Taiwan, the government are planning to create a law that is to prevent the utilization of surrogate mother from abuses. Although it is still a draft, it means a big progress to this issue. However, the draft also enhances the controversy that whether it is alright to make this technology put into practice? There are two different positions in Taiwan, thus it is harder for this draft being passed in Congress. In my opinion, I oppose the legalization of surrogate mother for there are too many unpredictable problems that we can easily solve, but there are also some people support it. Thus, what I want to discuss is whether we should make the surrogate mother be legalized in Taiwan? There are some advantages and disadvantages to this issue, I will discuss it below.

        Referring to the advantages of the utilization of surrogate mothers, I think the most great profit to us is that we can easily solve the problems of infecundity for mothers which have no wombs because of serious illness or have the womb hypoplasia. Mothers who have the problems which I have mentioned may have another hope to have their genetic kids through the use of surrogate mothers, and that truly inspires those mothers a lot. On the other hand, those who have serious morning sickness that may influences the condition of working or those who have to work, but have difficulty to get out from bed during the procreation can find a way to solve these problems. Moreover, it can offer a good way for homosexuals to have their own genetic descendants by exchanging their sperms and ova between gays and lesbians. Nowadays, there are more and more homosexuals in the world, thus I think it is a good news and profit to them. Besides, it is also a kind of revelation of women's decision-making power which they can decide the way of having a child. There are many different kinds of advantages of using the surrogate mothers according to different mothers and situations, and we can also see that many areas make the surrogate mother legalize, such as England, Korea, Hong Kong, etc. Although they are all conditional to make it public to society, it still a critical progress in this event. Otherwise, it also reveals that it's not impossible to make it legalize peacefully and well-orderly.

        However, there are also many influences and disadvantages in the utilization of surrogate mother. We can discuss the drawback from different aspects because it affects diverse sides in our society and we can't nearly ignore it. First, I think the surrogate mothers may violate the contracts which mention that they have to return the children to their parents who provide sperms and ova, thus it may arose the disputes on legislation, even to legal proceedings. Otherwise, we can't neither avoid the surrogate mothers' unrelated demand during the time of pregnancy, and if the real parents don't consent their requests, will they hurt their children? That's a big question, and how can we solve it? Moreover, it may also results the confuse of children's self identification. That is, if children know that they aren't born from their own mother's womb but another woman's, they may have a messy self identification of who is their real mother? Besides, the child will be regarded as a product that can be sold and the procreation can be seen as a trade. Also, the cost of surrogate mother is too expensive, only people who are in high or middle-high social status can afford it. Thus, it may reinforce the gap between capitalists and laborers. Furthermore, it will also arose the problems of prenatal education: who should take this obligation and how does the prenatal work? In addition, if the concepts of prenatal education are different, how do they deal with and how can the real mother know if the surrogate mother do the same things as the result they discuss? That is worth pondering.

        There will be many problems result if surrogate mothers are legalized in Taiwan in the future, how can our government and society solve the following problems? Thus, as for me, I am standing in the strong position that oppose the legalization of surrogate mothers for we don't well-prepare for the precautionary measures of surrogate mother and it really leads to many problems as I mention above and sometimes the problems even can not be easily solved in our surroundings. Even we can find proper methods or precautions to solve the problems, we can't also see many unpredictable problems which we don't have any solutions to that hide in our society. Thus, in my opinion, the legalization of surrogate mothers can not be passed.

Should Surrogate Mother Be Legal in Taiwan?

        Nowadays, we face many problems and dilemmas in our surroundings, and we sometimes even can't come up with a solution to it, especially the events which have connection with technology and morality. Today, there are too many problems, considerations, and difficulties of bearing a child. Thus, the scientists invent a kind of technology that can make a couple bear their children in other women's womb. However, is alright to make this technology put into practice? What I want to discuss is a controversial issue nowadays that whether we should make the surrogate mother be legalized? There are some advantages and disadvantages to this issue, I will discuss it below.

        There are some benefits of using the surrogate mother:

(1) We can easily solve the problems of infecundity for mothers which have no wombs because of serious illness or have the womb hypoplasia.

(2) Women who are afraid of the painful process of giving birth can have children without pain.

(3) Mothers can fulfill their desires which have children without difficulty to work.

(4) It can offer a good way for homosexuals to have their own genetic descendants by exchange their sperms and ova between gays and lesbians.

(5) It is a kind of revelation of women's decision-making power which they can decide the way of having a child.

There are many different kinds of advantages of using the surrogate mother according to different mothers and situations, and there are also many areas make the surrogate mother legalize, such as England, Korea, Hong Kong, etc. Although they are all conditional to make it public to society, it still a critical progress in this event.

        However, there are also many influences and disadvantages in the utilization of surrogate mother. We can discuss the drawback from different aspects because it affects diverse sides in our society. Below are the defects of surrogate mother:

(1) The surrogate mothers may violate the contracts which mention that they have to return the children to their parent who provide sperms and ova, and arose the following problems.

(2) It can not be avoid that if the surrogate mothers ask for unrelated demand during the time of pregnancy, and how can they solve the problems? If the real parents don't consent their requests, will they hurt their children?

(3) Self identification: If children know that they aren't born from their own mother's womb but another woman's, they may have a messy self consideration of who is their real mother?

(4) The child will be regarded as a product that can be sold and the procreation can be seen as trade.

(5) The cost of surrogate mother is too expensive, only people who are in high or middle-high social status can afford it. It may enhance the gap between capitalists and laborers.

(6) It will also arose the problems of prenatal education: who should take this obligation and how does the prenatal work? In addition, if the concept of prenatal education are different, how do they deal with and how can the real mother know if the surrogate mother do the same things as the result they discuss?

        There will be many problems result if surrogate mothers are legalized in the future, how can our government and society solve the following problems? Thus, I am in the position of opposing the legalization of surrogate mother. Only there is a perfect law for the legalization of surrogate mother that I will support the legalization of surrogate mother. However, there is still a long way for us to pass through, let's wait and see.