“He
was like, ‘What’s that? Why on earth would you think of something like that?
Please don’t even go there’,” she recalled.
Ada became intrigued
about surrogacy when she heard about it on a US reality television show, but
thought it was only for Westerners. Then a colleague revealed that she had done
it. But in a religiously conservative nation, many Christians and Muslims alike
are sceptical of surrogacy — even though the practice has historic roots.
Some polygamous
ethnic Igbo or Yoruba clans used surrogates when a wife was unable to conceive.
In some Igbo
villages, certain women could “marry” another woman. Any child born from the
marriage would take the name of the “female husband” and the male donor’s
identity was never divulged.
Social pressure
But as years
pass, traditions fade. In their place, a relatively lucrative but murky and
secretive system has developed. Ada, for example, was paid two million naira
(more than $5,500, nearly 5,000 euros) to be a surrogate. Key to her
involvement was the surrogacy agency’s provision of decent accommodation for
her, her husband and their own two children while she was pregnant.
“That what
attracted me to the project,” was she told AFP. “We had a pressing
need to move out of our place and when I showed (my husband) the accommodation
fee, he started looking at it differently, even though he was scared.”
Her husband’s
fears were justified even if he finally relented: Nigeria is the fourth most
dangerous country in the world to give birth.
According to the
World Bank, 814 women die for every 100,000 births — four times more than the
global average and 100 times more than in the European Union.
Ada eventually
gave birth to twins. So as not to arouse suspicion and to avoid the stigma
attached to surrogacy, Ada told her friends she lost the babies.
Huge taboo
The taboo
surrounding surrogacy is even greater for the women who have to turn to it. Infertility
is sometimes seen as divine punishment and most often the woman is blamed when
couples are unable to conceive.
“When
you go to church and you see couples praising God for giving them a child after
15 or 20 years, they say it’s a miracle but often it’s IVF (in-vitro
fertilisation) or surrogacy,” said a surrogacy agent, who gave his name as Chike. “Most people in Nigeria can’t afford the cost of IVF or a
surrogate mother, so there is not an extensive market for it in Nigeria. There
are a lot of stereotypes around surrogacy because of the ‘baby factories’.
People don’t know the difference.”
“Baby factories”
are illegal maternity units where many young women and girls give birth
anonymously after getting pregnant accidentally — sometimes as a result of rape
— or go there to sell the newborn.
Huge social and
religious pressure forces many infertile couples without means to go in
desperation to these units, which are prevalent in southeast Nigeria and are
often raided by police.
Surrogacy abroad
Toyin
Lolu-Ogunmade knows the pain of not being able to have children but didn’t want
to use a surrogate. “I wanted to carry a baby myself,” she
said. “My thinking was, ‘If you can’t carry a
pregnancy, then how are you a woman?’ That is the essence of femininity and
it’s being taken from me.”
“Most
people want to have children that are from their own genes, adopted children
are not biologically linked to you,” she explained, “with
surrogacy, they are related.”
Lolu-Ogunmade’s
12-year struggle with infertility was due to uterine fibroids and post-surgery
complications. Doctors told her the only chance of becoming a mother was by
using a surrogate. “I didn’t know where to start,” she
recalled.
After discussing
the matter with her husband and their pastor, the couple travelled to India
where surrogacy is legal. They eventually returned to Nigeria in 2012 with
twins and the idea of setting up an agency to help women with fertility
problems.
Risky business
In Nigeria,
there are no laws governing surrogacy. Lack of legislation leaves parents and
the surrogate vulnerable to inadequate medical screening, a lack of
psychological support and excessive use of Caesarean sections.
Ayo Sogunro, a
human rights lawyer, said Nigerian courts were likely to follow common law
precedents recognising the rights of both parties in a surrogacy contract.
For Chike, the
lack of proper legislation was too much of a risk and last month he closed his
online agency after five years.
“We will not
respond to any surrogacy requests. We thank you very much for your support,” a
message reads on the firm’s Facebook page.
Chike said his
involvement in commercial surrogacy has left him facing possible legal action
for human trafficking — and it was not worth the risk.
“Nigeria is not
ripe enough (for surrogacy) until there’s legislation in place,” he added.
Dr. Michael Ogunkoya (+2348033069466) is the best fertility specialist
in Nigeria. He was trained in the best medical schools in USA, London, Canada, Wales
and Hungary. Dr. Ogunkoya is the man that has the divine mandate to stamp-out
infertility among Nigerian couples. Just contact him and your infertility
challenges will be things of the past. With God, all things are possible. Dr.
Ogunkoya is the medical director of The Hope Valley Fertility Clinic.
The Hope Valley Fertility Clinic
Plot 31, Block 113,
Oladimeji Alo Street, Opposite Visa Office, By Ikate Roundabout, Lekki Phase 1,
Lagos-Epe Express Way, Lagos.
+2348033069466
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