New rent-a-womb service

A Singapore adoption center has expanded its offerings to include a rent-a-womb service, surrogate mothers for hire in China. Greenhouse Adoption Agency has experienced a dramatic slow-down in its adoption business since the Singapore government clamped down on adoptions from China. Private adoption agencies have all but been forced out of bringing adopted children from China to Singaporean parents. Now all adoptions are required to go through two designated voluntary welfare organisations. As a result, many adoption agencies now focus on adoptions from Malaysia and Indonesia. But Greenhouse has taken on the challenge of matching prospective parents in Singapore with surrogate mothers in China.

The process is complex and there are few guarantees. Couples travel from Singapore to China where IVF procedure is performed using the couple's egg and sperm. The embryo is implanted in the surrogate. Since the service is still new there are open questions about how the baby is then treated by immigration authorities. But Greenhouse says they have it all worked out with relationships already established at all the pertinent government agencies.

The cost is significant, 40,000 Singapore dollars, about twice the cost of an adoption. And four times the cost of a round of IVF treatment. And of course there are no guarantees that a single round of IVF will result in a pregnancy. Other questions that come to mind are the costs of delivery, especially if there are complications. And what about multiple births which are somewhat common with IVF.