TN govt grants 270 days of leave to surrogate mothers

Good news for surrogate mothers in Tamil Nadu as the state government has decided to grant 270 days of leave to women government employees and teachers to look after their babies. Minister for Social Welfare and Women Empowerment P Geetha Jeevan made the announcement in the Assembly.

There has been a steep increase in the number of women opting for surrogacy. Keeping this in mind, the government has permitted leave for surrogate mothers.

The surrogate mothers have been struggling to balance their profession and their baby. They are often denied the privileges of a new mother as their child is born through surrogacy.

There are many reasons why many working women choose to have a baby through surrogacy. Pregnancy could be physically gruelling, and not all working women have the liberty to take a break from their work during pregnancy. There are many complications involved in pregnancy, including morning sickness, mood swings and body pain. Some women find it nearly impossible to continue their job as they have to deal with the physical discomforts. So they reach a point in their career where they have to choose between their career and their unborn child. These factors force some women to choose surrogacy so that they can save both their professional and personal life.

Finding a perfect surrogate mother is not an easy task. Most people approach agencies that can help them get in touch with potential surrogate mothers. Even though it is physically demanding and involves a lot of risks, some women choose to go through the surrogate because of their substandard socioeconomic conditions. In rare cases, friends or relatives rise to the challenge and become surrogate mothers.

With Tamil Nadu taking a bold step, we hope that the others states will follow the example in the coming days. It would help more women who opt for surrogacy to strike a better balance between their professional and personal lives.