Renting Wombs and the Question of "Labour": Thinking through the New Surrogacy Bill

<strong>CENTRE FOR WOMEN'S STUDIES, JNU</strong> a Seminar Followed by Film Screening and Discussion of Can We See the Baby Bump Please? Seminar by <strong>Arathi P.M.</strong> (Associate Fellow, Council for Social Development, Delhi) <strong>Renting Wombs and the Question of "Labour":&nbsp; Thinking through the New Surrogacy Bill</strong> The categories such as production, reproduction, labour and work have become extremely complex in the contemporary time, especially under the historical conditions of globalisation and the development of new reproductive technologies. The interpretations of these terms are central to the present understanding of surrogacy in different societies. From an empirical experience, the presentation will discuss the narratives of the surrogates from the field work Dr. Arathi P.M. has conducted at in vitro fertilization(IVF) clinics in Kerala exploring how surrogates conceptualise "labour" and reproductive "labour". In contemporary India, the social location of surrogates is critical in differing conceptualisations of surrogacy. While this has to be the starting point for analysis, it cannot be the end. Is a non- exploitative altruistic surrogacy possible in a class-caste divided, patriarchal society? How can the transformative potential of technologies and legal regulation of it benefit the women who are the most exploited in the triad of contracting couple- surrogate baby - and the surrogate mother? The presentation will focus on the context and the politics of the new proposed surrogacy law in India and the new dilemma and challenges emerging in the field of research and practice of surrogacy. <strong>Film Screening and Discussion with Surabhi Sharma (Director)</strong> <strong>Can We See the Baby Bump Please?</strong> 2012/ 49 mins Routine Skype conversations with the parents of the child growing in her womb does not make the surrogate's condition less alienating. This often exploitative and stigmatised labour of the marginalised woman is the keystone of the rapidly expanding fertility industry. The global reach of medical tourism and commercial surrogacy spawns a range of clinics and practices across big cities and small towns in India. Anonymous, often with limited choice, woman's labour is yet again pushed into the background. A whiff of immorality, the absence of regulation and the erasure of the surrogate's experience collude to produce a climate of callousness. This film meets with surrogates, doctors, law firms, agents, and family in an attempt to understand the context of surrogacy in India. <strong>Date: 27th September 2016</strong> &nbsp;