A controversial doctor is building the world’s first ‘baby factory’ which will house hundreds of poverty-stricken Indian women making babies for childless Western couples.
The one-stop surrogacy shop – complete with a gift shop and hotel rooms – is under construction as part of India’s multibillion dollar commercial surrogacy industry.
The medic behind the plans, Dr Nayna Patel, already runs a back street clinic in rural Gujarat which currently accommodates around 100 pregnant women in a single house.
Wannabe parents send sperm or embryos to the clinic via courier, often only visiting India to pick up their new son or daughter.
Dr Patel charges hopeful parents $28,000 (£17,330) in exchange for using the womb of one of her surrogates. She pays each surrogate $8,000 (£4,950) per single pregnancy. If it is twins, they are paid an extra $2,000.
Dr Patel’s programme has already produced almost 600 babies for rich couples.
She has received death threats and faced accusations of exploiting the poor for profit – but she insists her work is a ‘feminist mission’ bringing equally needy woman together.
Speaking in tonight’s documentary, she said: ‘These woman are doing a job.
It’s a physical job. They are paid for that job.
‘These women know there is no gain without pain. I definitely see myself as a feminist. Surrogacy is one woman helping another.’
Among the hopeful couples is British doctor Michael, 62, and his Russian wife Veronica, 33.
Veronica was born with one fallopian tube and one ovary, leaving her unable to carry a child.
Speaking about two embryos which have just been implanted in a surrogate mother, she said: ‘These are Alexander and Katerina – I’ve had the names for two years.’