...Whether through or female infertility or difficulties with pregnancy, couples unable to have children are entitled to compassion and comfort.

In those instances where there is potential for fertilisation and conception to occur, variety of technologies are available to overcome infertility. Artificial Insemination (A1), in which sperm is placed in the vagina through artificial means to overcome sexual performance deficiencies, to circumvent sperm-mucus interaction problems and to maximise the potential for poor semen; Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI), a procedure in which a single sperm is injected into an egg to enable fertilisation where the male has very low sperm counts or non-motile sperm; and In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF), where fertilisation of the ovum takes place outside the body in a small glass dish and the embryo is implanted into the uterus, are all well-known procedures that have helped otherwise infertile couples to have children.

The most radical "remedy" for infertility is "gestational" surrogacy. In this procedure, eggs are fertilised with sperm from a "commissioning" couple by IVF and the resulting embryo transferred to a "surrogate" who brings the child to birth before it is "adopted" by the genetic parents--the "commissioning couple". Despite the substantial financial outlay associated with gestational surrogacy, it has become an increasingly attractive procedure for many couples afflicted by infertility of some kind. But what of the moral, social and emotional costs to all involved? Might this be a situation in which society ought not encourage or commend a person for offering to carry another's burden?

In his carefully structured and thoughtfully argued piece, "Surrogate Motherhood and Public Policy" (Quadrant, March 2003), Russell Blackford explores surrogacy in the light of a number of philosophical and public policy concerns. In responding, I want first, as someone with religious convictions, to take issue with Blackford's ethical outlook; second, to note certain practical problems and philosophical deficiencies in his approach; third, to comment on the legal and administrative handling of gestational surrogacy in the Australian Capital Territory; fourth, to offer a range of reasons for opposing and prohibiting "commercial" surrogacy arrangements; and, finally, as a former member of the Ethics Committee at John James Memorial Hospital in Canberra, to outline my personal position on surrogacy.

In this and other recent articles in Quadrant, Russell Blackford has outlined his particular understanding of the individual and society, and the relationship that does and ought to exist between the two. He declares that "in all cases, the starting point is the freedom of individuals to live their own lives and make their own choices". This starting point is asserted, not argued, although Blackford repeats on no fewer than eight occasions that this point of departure is fundamental to the health of a "modern liberal society"--something he evidently believes Australia is or, at least, ought to become. He goes on to say that "the state permits freedom of choice unless a compelling reason can be found to do otherwise". He takes a plainly minimalist view of the state and its prerogatives even as he asserts the secondary importance of the society in which individuals interact.

AT ITS FOUNDATIONS, Blackford's position is embedded with a philosophical leaning and a political ideology that are neither explained nor defended. He assumes the primacy of the individual and accepts the supremacy of the individual's free will over and above the primacy of the state and supremacy of collective social well-being. More than a few value judgments are apparent in his position. These declarations of the way things are, or ought to be, are...

NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.



More articles from Quadrant
The Touring Company of the Bolshoi Ballet.(Poem), June 01, 2003
Nom de Plume.(Poem), June 01, 2003
Flight into Egypt.(Poem), June 01, 2003
After the Storm.(Poem), June 01, 2003
The yobbo decline of the letters page. (Devine).(letter to the editor), June 01, 2003

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