An international surrogacy ring exploited poor women, refused to pay for abortions and “commercialized” children, Argentine prosecutors alleged.
A group of prosecutors said they discovered a “criminal enterprise” in Argentina that charged foreign couples about $50,000 for a baby born through a surrogate mother.
They said “vulnerable women in conditions of economic deprivation” were targeted and recruited on social media. $10,000 for women, $1-2,000 bonus for cesarean delivery.
But advocates said the companies refused to provide surrogates except for minimal monthly expenses if the pregnancy was terminated for any reason, such as a miscarriage.
Earlier this month, police raided four fertility centers in Buenos Aires and two in Rosario, seven notary offices and three law firms, confiscating medical and payment records. The State Prosecutor's Office, together with the Prosecutor's Office against Human Trafficking and Exploitation, prosecutes those involved in the crimes of trafficking and “commercialization” of children.
“Those investigated carried out a criminal enterprise dedicated to the recruitment of women, many of them vulnerable and in conditions of economic deprivation, with the intention of subjecting them to exploitation comparable to slavery,” prosecutors said.
A source close to the investigation said that the operators of the plan, advertised as the Argentina Program by several individuals and companies, “made substantial profits.”
Nigel Cantwell, founder of Defense for Children International and one of the world's leading authorities on child protection policy, said Argentina's allegations were “particularly egregious”.
“If women are not paid for their services when there is a problem during pregnancy, it is pure selling of children,” he added. “It's a very difficult thing to try to defend on an ethical basis.”
There are no international standards or agreements on surrogacy and national regulations vary widely. In rich countries, surrogate mothers now typically include pre-assessment, counseling and legal advice, and in Britain parents are vetted by social workers.
But elected representatives in developing countries are often poor and illiterate, experts say, and some sign contracts without fully understanding the documents. And there are typically few or no controls for those seeking surrogacy arrangements, Cantwell said.
The investigation in Argentina began in January, when a 58-year-old German woman brought her three-month-old baby to the emergency room of a Bonn hospital in “extremely poor health,” prosecutors said. A surrogate birth was discovered in Argentina. German police determined that the girl was unfit to care for the child and placed her in a temporary foster home.
Many developing countries have made efforts to end international surrogacy in recent years (Thailand and India banned foreigners from paying surrogates in 2015), but the practice continues to grow. The global surrogacy industry was estimated to be valued at $14 billion in 2022, will grow to $17.9 billion in 2023, and is expected to reach $139 billion in 2032.
“International surrogacy is increasing as international adoptions decrease and access to surrogacy increases,” Cantwell said.
Experts have denounced a legal vacuum for international commercial surrogacy in Argentina. A source close to the investigation stated that those involved used weak regulations to “turn Argentina into a 'breeding tourism' destination” to directly benefit “couples from more developed countries.”
Argentina has been plagued by an economic crisis for decades. More than 50% of people live in poverty and 70% of workers earn less than 550,000 pesos a month (approximately £430).
Prosecutors are now investigating similar cases dating back to 2018. They have so far identified at least 49 people who they say share similar characteristics to the initial “German case.” No organization or individual under investigation has been publicly named yet.
“The event that led to the initiation of the case was not isolated,” federal prosecutor María Alejandra Mangano said in a statement. “Instead, it turned out to be a business plan developed nationally and internationally.”
