Outsourcing – Wombs for rent, globalization gone mad?

Although I have read articles about it since the beginning of 2000, I cannot refrain from thinking that it is now taking off like never before. In a time when many decide for abortions to get rid of unwanted babies, others go to extremes to secure themselves of children, yet, outside their own wombs! The latest fad is on its way and takes the concept of outsourcing beyond its boundaries:

Busy career women are hiring wombs of other mothers to carry their babies rather than take time off work. Businesswomen, models, athletes and actresses in the US are choosing for ‘social surrogacy’ to help cope with career pressure.

Other women are applying to clinics to rent wombs to avoid painful childbirth and stretch marks. One 35 – year old Californian mother of three sons hired a woman to carry her fourth child to ensure she had a daughter and to protect her career prospects.

· Too busy with your career; rent a womb!

· Too expensive to deal with national systems; rent a womb in India!

· Afraid of loosing your figure or of the nasty birthmarks; rent a womb, be a mum, and keep your shape all at the same time!

Newsweek, Marie Claire, The Wall Street Journal and lately even Oprah have addressed this issue. Is this yet another example of third-world exploitation? Is it globalization gone mad? A movement is set into system where underprivileged and/or underpaid women are being used for the ultimate outsourcing, Although most articles deal with women in India (great healthcare available with the English language as great asset), another group which is targeted is found among the women married to American (low-paid) military man.

The interest to seek such social surrogacy is most evident in India and other poor countries, since their systems avoid the legal red tape and the potential legal aspects and consequences of relationships, and agreements gone sour.

What is there more to say about it? This is for me yet another side of the excesses of career thinking, consumerism, and a self centered, self-serving society which has gone mad.

Well, probably you have your own conclusions… What do you think of this?

John

Abortions among teenagers in Stockholm increase; highest figures since 1990!

Abortions among teenagers in Stockholm increase; highest figures since 1990!

After yesterday’s blog about “abortion art”, alarming figures have been released by our social authorities here in Sweden.

Although the figures show that there is a slow decrease in the country as a whole, the increase among teenage girls is clear. In Salem, one of the suburbs of Stockholm 5% of the girls have undergone an abortion. One more provoking fact was brought to the attention: 37% of the women undergoing abortion have done so previously! Abortion seems to be used as an contraceptive!

As a pastor I have been confronted with women and couples who have gone through abortion and besides the fact that many are ridden by guilt about the death of the child, they also are faced with tremendous traumas. Some time ago I wrote a rather extensive blog on that, read it here.

What to say after such figures? Again, let the words of Ulf Ekman guide us in this regard, let us never stop speaking and fighting against this injustice!

John

Abortion Art – a new way of expressing oneself – or pushing the boundaries beyond “repair”?

Ulf Ekman told us on his blog that “the battle for the right of unborn children needs to continue and that we should not get tired of engaging us. We cannot allow indifference, cynicism, mockery or anger stop us from defending the most unprotected persons in our nation” (world –added by me).

I came across an article in last weeks Yale Daily News where I found stated:

Beginning next Tuesday (tomorrow) , Aliza Shvarts will be displaying her senior art project, a documentation of a nine-month process during which she artificially inseminated herself “as often as possible” while periodically taking abortifacient drugs to induce miscarriages. Her exhibition will feature video recordings of these forced miscarriages as well as preserved collections of the blood from the process.

The goal in creating the art exhibition, Shvarts said, was to spark conversation and debate on the relationship between art and the human body. But her project has already provoked more than just debate, inciting, for instance, outcry at a forum for fellow senior art majors held last week. And when told about Shvarts’ project, students on both ends of the abortion debate have expressed shock — saying the project does everything from violate moral code to trivialize abortion.

But Shvarts insists her concept was not designed for “shock value.”

“I hope it inspires some sort of discourse,” Shvarts said. “Sure, some people will be upset with the message and will not agree with it, but it’s not the intention of the piece to scandalize anyone.”

The New York Times picked up the story and is still puzzled about it… Although Yale Daily News retracted the story in their Friday issue Aliza Shvarts is still ambivalent about her intentions.

Whether or not it is true, (and I really hope it is not!) the sheer thought of using the unborn children as a tool to manipulate the media, opinions and the Arts is yet another example of the depravity of humankind without God. How deep have we fallen?

John