Questions and answers about surrogate pregnancy: a review of public opinion studies

Abstract

Surrogate pregnancy is a reproductive practice that raises enormous social, bioethical, political and media controversy because it undermines the canonical pillars that sustain the family institution. In this article we present the bibliographic or Scoping Review of a 29 scientific articles that collect opinion surveys on this subject. They show surrogate pregnancy as a phenomenon still mostly frown upon by society although, from a chronological perspective, a trend towards wider acceptance can also be observed. Population generally prefers assisted reproduction techniques because they guarantee continuation of the own genetic heritage and do not entail the participation of third parties. In the social system of preferences, subrogation is relegated to the last place. A small number of works have tried to identify and analyse the factors determining the degree of acceptance of surrogate pregnancy. Controversial issues, such as commercial or “closed” subrogation, are not frequently included into public opinion surveys. When inquiring about the social representation of surrogate pregnant women, the approach adopted by most of the surveys reproduces the image created and broadcasted by mainstream media, ignoring the findings presented by both ethnography and research specifically aimed at assessing the results of subrogation agreements. Most opinion studies frame the public’s views within a medical approach. Studies that inquiry about the degree of acceptance of subrogation for “social” reasons are exceptional, despite the fact that the development of assisted reproduction techniques takes place in parallel with the emergence of new family forms.