I was reading the Big B’s blog (he is so fun, and a wealth of information about Indian culture) and he mentioned in today’s post that he had heard a discussion about the growing trend of women in Western countries who sent their eggs and a partner’s sperm to be implanted in women in India. The fetus is then carried to term by the surrogate, and collected by its parents upon delivery.

Weeeeeeeeeird and creepy.

Have none of the people paying for this ever read The Handmaid’s Tale? Because I think they might think differently. I mean, the situation is (arguably) voluntary, but no less creepy.

(why is it creepy?)Well, here’s the deal: In the Handmaid’s Tale, women are forced to have children for couples who are infertile. Most couples are infertile. Husbands and wives are assigned to each other. The protagonist can carry children to term, so she is obligated to have a child with a high-ranking man. When the child is born, she is then obligated to let it be raised by the man’s wife, who cannot have children. She’s in this position because she was separated from her husband during the war that created this weird society.

Anyway, this whole “buying womb time” business creeps me out.