need (Gordon 25). Surrogate motherhood can also be seen as providing a benefit to women who are physically incapable of bearing children of their own, or who are unable to become pregnant because of their career requirements (Singer and Wells 98-99).
On the negative side, however, a number of intricate arguments have been presented which oppose surrogate motherhood. Many opponents claim that the act is simply unnatural and is therefore morally wrong (Singer and Wells 101). In this regard, the natural family bond is seen as a "primal unit" which is seriously damaged by surrogate motherhood (Baker 232).
Others have pointed out that surrogacy raises class and racial issues since the couples seeking such arrangements are generally well-to-do whites and therefore require the surrogate mother to also be white. Still others have stated that the practice raises issues regarding the surrogate mother's rights to privacy. For example, it has been noted that "many surrogate contracts require women to submit to any procedure or treatment considered medically necessary" (Gavin 9).
It has also been noted that a number of things could go wrong in the course of a surrogacy contract. For example, the surrogate mother may use drugs or alcohol; she may seek to extort additional payments from the couple; and either side may change their minds about the arrangement for any number of reasons (Singer an
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