ABSTRACT
The author see three basic assumptions driving the chilly reaction described by Sherry. The first is the assumption that surrogates are parting with their own children. The second assumption is the idea that pregnancy and birth hold no pleasure in and of themselves and are painful, unpleasant experiences best avoided—unless people really want a baby. With these two assumptions, surrogacy is framed as both morally suspect and illogical. In this chapter, the author explores how women come to work in the highly contentious field of surrogacy, both the initial seed of inspiration and the motivations that draw them to this practice. Surrogates frame their work as sacrifice, neatly positioning surrogacy alongside other forms of female-dominated labor. Their work is meant to be a labor of love, arising out of their nature and womanly skills. Like other care workers, surrogates call on the rhetoric of self-sacrifice and love in framing their labor.
