THE CHARACTERISTICS OF LIFESTYLE AND ATTITUDES TO MOTHERHOOD OF SURROGATE MOTHERS IN UKRAINE

Abstract

Surrogacy is a relatively new phenomenon in the life of modern society. There is an ambiguous attitude that manifests itself in the form of legislative prohibition or regulation, implemented in different countries. In Ukraine it is allowed only gestational surrogacy (full, that is, the surrogate mother is not genetically related with fetus, its egg cannot be used); it may be a commercial; the parent/parents of a child which born from a surrogate pregnancy is not considered a surrogate mother, but an infertile couple who initiated the surrogate pregnancy. As pointed out by C. Ryan and C. Jetha (Ryan, Jetha 2012), the concept of " one mother to child " has difficulty both in traditional and in modern Western societies. Motherhood seems to be split because a person may have a genetic mother, surrogate mother (which at the same time can be an aunt or grandmother to him/her) foster mother, godmother. Widespread of adoption, foster children from a previous marriage, surrogacy techniques, sperm donation and cryogenic preservation of embryos leads Homo Sapiens species, by the opinion of C. Ryan and his co-authoress, quickly moving away from " classical " nuclear family structures towards a more plastic forms of organization, hence the relevance of our research. There are anthropological evidences that this activity (surrogacy) did not appear on empty place, but it has its historical and even evolutionary prototype. This is so-called " cooperative feeding. " Famous modern anthropologist S. Hrdi indicates in her work " Mothers and Others " (Hrdy, 2001) that in the animal world and in traditional hunter-gatherer The article of O. Lutsenko, V. Tsokota " The characteristics of lifestyle and attitudes to motherhood of surrogate mothers in Ukraine " is aimed to study surrogate mothers' attitudes to pregnancy and surrogate motherhood. The objectives of the study were to identify the characteristics of their social situation, lifestyle, volitional, moral, emotional and motivational qualities that can partially determine the decision to become a surrogate mother. 28 women included in the program of surrogate motherhood and three comparison groups of 20 people (the women without children, with 1-2 children and with many children) were interviewed using a semi-structured authors' interview of the 25 questions. It was found that the prospective surrogate mothers differ from comparison groups by less education, more frequent absence of husband or divorce in the family situation, not entirely satisfactory living conditions, lack of material support. They are less vulnerable, are not prone to long-term negative emotional states, have fewer fears associated with pregnancy and childbirth, and are much more positive about the surrogacy.