Miloš Perović: The Political Economy of Surrogacy. A Contribution to the Discussion on the Phenomenon of Reproductive Tourism, 187–195

Abstract

This article examines the practice of surrogacy, with a particular focus on the commodification of reproductive labor. Employing the critique of the political economy framework, the author analyzes transnational commercial surrogacy and its associated reproductive tourism as a specific modality of wage labor, subject to exploitation analogous to other forms of wage labor. Transnational surrogacy is presented as embodying the defining characteristics of the global capitalist economy, notably the exploitation of labor force and resources in less-developed nations. The paper is structured as follows: the first section delineates the concept and typologies of surrogacy; the second section explores the global market for commercial surrogacy; the third section analyzes the legal regulatory landscape governing surrogacy; and the fourth section provides a contextual analysis of surrogacy within Serbia.

[Surrogacy, commodification, wage labor, political economy, neoliberalism]