Surrogacy has always been contested and much debated in India since its legalisation in 2002, and the recent Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2016, has led to a renewed engagement with it. The advent of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) provided an opportunity for the medical establishment, market and infertile couples to come together in a mutually beneficial arrangement, which is made possible by a surrogate. ART, while medicalising the reproductive capacity of women, also calls for a redefining of the concepts of ‘motherhood’, family and reproductive choice. This article primarily documents the experiences of surrogates through their narratives about the continuous struggle with themselves, their families and the medical establishment. In this matrix of unequal power relations that surrogacy epitomises, the surrogate has a precarious voice. The article argues that while surrogacy extracts a physiological and emotional price that the surrogates pay, it is empowering in a limited way. It offers women economic opportunities of a scale otherwise denied to them, enabling them to fight a life of poverty.

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“外包怀孕”：来自海得拉巴的代孕叙述

自 2002 年代孕合法化以来，代孕一直在印度受到争议和争论，最近的 2016 年代孕（监管）法案导致了与它的重新接触。辅助生殖技术 (ART) 的出现为医疗机构、市场和不孕夫妇提供了一个机会，可以通过代理人达成互惠互利的安排。ART 在医学化女性生殖能力的同时，也呼吁重新定义“母性”、家庭和生育选择的概念。本文主要通过代孕人与自己、家人和医疗机构不断斗争的叙述来记录他们的经历。在代孕所体现的这种不平等的权力关系矩阵中，代孕者的声音很不稳定。 .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 文章认为，虽然代孕提取了代理人支付的生理和情感代价，但它以有限的方式赋予权力。它为女性提供了原本无法获得的经济机会，使她们能够过上贫困的生活。