merlotgran
I really enjoyed The House of Hidden Mothers especially the insight into Indian culture and political issues. There's a lot going on in the book and I think I will read it again so I can pay more attention to Shyama's parents' struggle to repossess their retirement property in Delhi. I found I was so absorbed in the surrogacy plot I was tempted to skim over that part of the story although it played a necessary part in the conclusion.
I liked the power shift between the two women and Tara's 'coming of age'. The ending didn't surprise me although it did seem a bit too neat and tidy.
I'd like to ask Meera, Do you see your novel playing a part in raising awareness of couples seeking surrogate mothers abroad and are India's surrogacy laws particulary lax compared with other countries which could lead to it being regarded as just another outsourced industry?
Merlotgran, that is a really interesting question. I think for people seeking surrogates I'm not telling them anything new, because it's so well known that India is the cheapest place to go, and maybe more importantly because of its as yet unregulated industry, there is no legal claim on any child born from the surrogate mother, whereas I believe this is a very different situation in some other countries. You talk about it being regarded as an outsourced industry - I think its opponents and critics already regard it as that and there have been many discussions about possible exploitation of surrogate mothers and the lack of protection they are offered by some clinics. However, I believe there's a bill being discussed in the Indian parliament (in fact it may have already gone through) which plans to implement strict regulations. One of which, is that surrogacy will only be offered to heterosexual couples who have been married two years. This will undoubtedly profoundly change the surrogacy industry and the people who are able to use it. Some people will welcome this as a long overdue reform of what, at the moment, is an open market. other people will say that it's draconian and excludes many genuine couples who are desperate for a child. Like I said, it's such a complex, emotive area and it really does depend on where you're standing as to whether you welcome the changes or are dismayed by them.