A Stark Choice for Cambodia's Surrogates
Babies born through surrogacy in Cambodia are in limbo after their birth mothers were accused of human trafficking. Who will take responsibility for them now?
In a Cambodian hospital, a group of terrified new mothers nurse tiny babies under the watch of police guards. They're surrogates, desperately poor women promised $10,000 to bear children for parents in China. But they were arrested under new anti-trafficking rules, and now they face an agonising choice: either they agree to keep children they didn't want and can't easily afford to bring up, children who aren't genetically theirs - or they honour their surrogacy contracts, and face up to 20 years in jail. Tim Whewell reports on the suffering as country after country in Asia cracks down on commercial surrogacy - and asks whether the detained mothers are criminals - or victims.
(Image: Former Cambodian surrogate Va-Tei: "I feel really sad that I had to give the baby away." Credit: ±«Óãtv)
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'I was sad to give my baby away'
Duration: 00:31
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'They negotiate the price of them in the womb'
Duration: 00:43
Broadcasts
- Thu 29 Nov 2018 13:32GMT±«Óãtv World Service except News Internet
- Thu 29 Nov 2018 18:06GMT±«Óãtv World Service Australasia
- Thu 29 Nov 2018 21:06GMT±«Óãtv World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
- Thu 29 Nov 2018 23:06GMT±«Óãtv World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
- Fri 30 Nov 2018 02:32GMT±«Óãtv World Service
- Sat 1 Dec 2018 16:06GMT±«Óãtv World Service News Internet
- Sun 2 Dec 2018 05:32GMT±«Óãtv World Service
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