Matchmaking Genes
Much of the debates on commercial surrogacy are marked by the interventions and involvement of the assisted reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilization (IVF). In this chapter the medico-technological process of commercial surrogacy is seen through the involvement of IVF specialists, embryologists in their identification and understanding of genes and kinship. The chapter also explores the ways in which fertility clinics negotiate with the practice of commercial surrogacy by invoking Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) draft law on surrogacy and reproductive technologies. The chapter looks at how medicine does not always operate within a tradition of rationality but often invokes local-folk wisdom of kin and kinship to understand the consequences of assisted conception. In that sense IVF specialists, clinicians, and embryologists often become ‘matchmakers’ invoking an idea of genes and biology that is not embedded in scientific rationality.