Philosopher's Zone
Philosopher's Zone
ABC ABC Australia
Can pregnancy be a job? the ethics of commercial surrogacy
32 minutes Posted Jul 2, 2026 at 11:00 pm.
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Commercial surrogacy - the practice of paying someone to gestate your child and then hand it over when it's born - is banned in Australia, but it has its supporters. Defenders of commercial surrogacy argue that it should be legal for someone to receive payment for the labour of carrying a child, on the grounds that surrogacy constitutes a legitimate form of work. But are there some things that just shouldn't be for sale? This week we're testing the arguments.