Reproductive Autonomy, Assisted Reproductive Technologies, and Surrogacy Ethics in the Global South

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 11, November 2026 | pp. 71–84

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001350

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Reproductive Autonomy, Assisted Reproductive Technologies, and Surrogacy Ethics in the Global South

Names of Author: Amara Eze-Okeke¹ & Priya Subramanian²

Author's Affiliation: ¹Department of Bioethics and Medical Humanities, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria; ²Centre for Studies in Ethics and Rights, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India.

Abstract:
The rapid expansion of private fertility clinics and assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) across urban centers in Africa and South Asia has transformed infertility treatment while creating lucrative transnational surrogacy markets. In pronatalist societies where involuntary childlessness subjects women to severe marital stigma, divorce, and property disinheritance, access to IVF offers profound personal relief. Simultaneously, the absence of comprehensive bioethical regulation exposes low-income gestational surrogates and egg donors to medical exploitation, opaque contracts, and inadequate postpartum care. This paper examines the ethical, legal, and socio-economic dimensions of assisted reproduction and commercial surrogacy in Nigeria and India. Grounded in reproductive justice and feminist bioethics, the research draws on interviews with 34 fertility clinicians, gestational surrogates, and legal scholars. We argue for statutory regulatory frameworks that protect surrogates’ bodily autonomy and fair compensation while destigmatizing female infertility.

Keywords: Assisted reproductive technologies, surrogacy ethics, feminist bioethics, reproductive justice, infertility stigma, bodily autonomy, Nigeria, India

Manuscript Timeline: Received: September 24, 2026; Revised: October 23, 2026; Accepted: October 27, 2026; Published: November 16, 2026.

Citation: Eze-Okeke, A., & Subramanian, P. (2026). Reproductive Autonomy, Assisted Reproductive Technologies, and Surrogacy Ethics in the Global South. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(11), 71–84. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001350

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