Question

write a reply to this response in three to five sentences .

RE: Sect. 1 Week 10 DQ 8: Commodification and Assisted Reproductive Technologies

COLLAPSE

A commodity is according to the Google definition:

a raw material or primary agricultural product that can be bought and sold, such as copper or coffee. If you are treating someone like a commodity, you're essentially treating them as if they have a marketable value i.e. you can sell them for profit. I think in more cases than not, it is wrong to do this. I wouldn't say it is always wrong though, I think it depends on the situation for example, surrogacy. I don't think all of these technologies listed treat children as commodities in it's raw sense of the word, but ultimately, if you are paying for a child to be born using un-natural methods then you are commodifying them to some degree.

The video "Wombs for Rent", was a real eye opener for me, I knew very little about surrogacy prior to watching it, I've only really seen it on TV and I've known someone that stated she'd be a surrogate for a couple she knew that couldn't have a child naturally. Other than that, it was a foreign topic for me. After watching the PBS video, I would say that there are definitely some companies out there that look at children as commodities and are profiting off people using their services. I could see how it would be difficult to determine which of these companies to deal with though as many of them are very "family oriented" and at least appear to be geared towards helping families that are reproductively challenged.

Some agencies are very up front about their costs, for example West Coast Surrogacy has a page that goes over their costs, and the first paragraph states: "At West Coast Surrogacy, we are transparent about surrogate mother costs and fees. We understand that gestational surrogacy represents a significant cost for many families. And that is why our team is dedicated to providing resources and options to ease your surrogacy journey, including flexible financing options." So they make sure to explain that their mission is to help families but, they will make you pay for it but they will help you figure out a way to afford it. Overall, I'd say most of the websites and companies are the same in this regard.

References:

PBS video, "Womb for Rent". Retrieved from:http://www.pbs.org/video/now-on-pbs-surrogacy-wombs-for-rent/  

West Coast Surrogacy, retrieved from: https://www.westcoastsurrogacy.com/surrogate-program-for-intended-parents/surrogate-mother-cost

Answer 1

Our societal norms and values have been experiencing a phenomenal shift. Our society is now predominantly based on the theory of growthism and productivism, wherein every activity is driven by a penchant for increasing profits, which is gained by commodifying entities.

Surrogacy and companies thst provide reproductive assistance have been veering towards the aforementioned site. The original motive has shifted from helping the reproductively challenged couple to earning profits.