Beyond relativism: Comparing the practice and norms of surrogacy in India, Israel, and Germany

Abstract

My following comparative analysis is based on two main questions: How can we best understand and describe the social practices of modern medicine in a particular cultural context? And: What can we learn for our moral thinking from such a comparative approach? I will answer these two questions by engaging the comprehensive studies from law, medical sociology/anthropology and ethics in this volume from three different cultural/national contexts: Germany, Israel and India in a fictional, comparative discourse. Hereby, I identify three cross-themes of surrogacy which I will discuss from a normative point of view: (a) unsolved ethical concerns such as exploitation, child’s best interest and unethical motivations, (b) a naturalised parenthood as global-cultural imperative, and (c) the need for transnational discourses beyond relativism.