ATTITUDES OF VIETNAMESE TOWARD SURROGACY AND LEGALIZING SURROGACY

Running head: SURROGACY AND ATTITUDES OF VIETNAMESE

Attitudes of Vietnamese toward surrogacy and legalizing surrogacy
Nguyen Le Anh Thu – Phan Su Bao Han
Course BBUS 4.4
Bussiness Academic Skills
June 12th, 2014
Instructor: Dr. Duong Thi Hoang Oanh

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SURROGACY AND ATTITUDES OF VIETNAMESE

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Abstract
This study examined attitudes of Vietnamese toward two sensitive issues: surrogacy and
legalizing surrogacy. These issues were considered through results collected by using
questionnaire from internet users. Results of the study provide data to demonstrate the existence
of social prejudices. Although surrogacy brings many benefits, these prejudices along with some
other disadvantages are barriers to legalize surrogacy. This research was done to support
legalizing surrogacy in Vietnam.


SURROGACY AND ATTITUDES OF VIETNAMESE

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Attitudes of Vietnamese toward surrogacy and legalizing surrogacy
Infertility or inability to give a birth used to be one of the most difficult problems that

have no solution. Fortunately, thanking to the development of science and technology, people
nowadays can solve effectively this problem by applying methods of modern medicine such as
artificial insemination and surrogacy. However, while surrogacy has been legal in United State,
India, Russia…, it has been being illegal in other ones including Vietnam. Although the rate of
infertile couples and the demand for surrogacy is increasing dramatically in Vietnam, the
Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Justice is still considering on whether to allow such births
under the law. It is believed that referendum should be done in order to make a reasonable
decision of legalizing surrogacy. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to clarify the attitudes
of Vietnamese toward surrogacy and legalization of surrogacy. This paper is hoped to be a
document that partially contributes to the decision of legalizing surrogacy.
Literature review
Most people have heard about surrogacy but probably some do not understand what
surrogacy is. According to Brandco Lawfrim (n.d.), surrogacy is the case in which after in vitro
fertilization, if the mother has some health problems or certain conditions, they will hire other
woman to be pregnant and birth. Mr Nguyen Viet Tien (2013), vice minister of health, stated that
surrogacy is a medical achievement which makes the dream of motherhood become reality for
infertile women at the conference. Besides, Duong Dang Hue (2013), director of the Civil and
Economic Department at the Ministry of Justice explains the new reforms: many couples in need
of surrogacy have resorted to asking hospitals for permission to engage in surrogacy. After
having read these letters, many doctors have felt the pain of these couples. Though they want to


SURROGACY AND ATTITUDES OF VIETNAMESE

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help them, they do not want to break the law, which led to a number of doctors submitting a
request to Ministry of Justice to consider the issue on humanitarian grounds.
Nevertheless, some people still worry about the disadvantages brought by surrogacy. For
example, Nguyen Huy Quang (2013), chief of the legal department of the health ministry, is

afraid about conflicts between real mother and surrogate mother because surrogacy destroys
biological regulation that the baby is the child of a woman who gives birth. At the National
Assembly discussed the Draft Law on marriage and family (as amended), according to deputy
Cao Thi Xuan (2014), surrogacy regulations for humanitarian purposes meet the needs of
couples husband's infertility, but the incalculable consequences of surrogate hid trade nature,
conflict, hurt the mother and children that the law is difficult to handle base. In fact, the
implementation of this technique is very expensive so only wealthy families could be done.
Deputy Ton Thi Ngoc Hanh (2014) also had the same idea. She said that the percentage of
people who are awareness of this problem is limited. Even if they know, they may have little
sympathy because this technique is expensive. Thus, only the wealthy can proceed, which
inadvertently creates more wealth discrimination.
Recently, legalizing surrogacy is concerned particularly and many conferences are
organized. However, mixed opinions still exist so it’s difficult to make resasonable decision.
Method
This research is conducted using quantitative method.
Participants


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Various individuals participated in the research by answering a questionnaire observed
through Internet. There were totally 92 Vietnamese respondents. Their detail is showed in the
Table 1 below.

Gender
Age

Table 1: Study Participants

Participants
Male
Female
41
51
Under 18
18-25
Above 25
2
85
5

Total
92
Total
92

It can be seen that the proportions of two genders seems to be the same. Most of participants of
the research are young generation (18 – 25 years old), who would be parenthoods in the near
future, so the Vietnamese in this research should be understood as participants who are
Vietnamese young generations.
Materials
The questionnaire used in the research (see Appendix A) was randomly issued to
participants as a type of online survey. It consisted of a seires of questions for gathering opinion
from participants. The questions were made in format of multiple choices. Some of them aslo
allowed respondents to share their own views on legalizing surrogacy in Vietnam. The
questionaire was designed in Vietnamese so that Vietnamses could be easy to access the topic,
then it was translated into English.
Analysis
The data collected and analyzed were used as confirmatory evidences to clarify issues

mentioned in research question.
Result


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The first part of the questionnaire was issued to investigate the attitudes of Vietnamese
participants toward surrogacy. The result was demonstrated in the table 2 below.
Table 2: Attitudes of Vietnamese toward surrogacy
Attitudes/Intentions
Husband disagreed with that
his wife were a surrogate
mother
People chose surrogacy as an
alternative method to make
their own baby
Idividual still keep negative
attitudes toward surrogacy

Participants
Proportion (?/92)

Percentage

59/92

64 %

33/92

36 %

84/92

91 %

According to the survey result, most of Vietnamese (91% of respondents) has been
keeping negative attitudes toward surrogacy. When put in the position of the husband, 64% of
Vietnamese participants tended to object against that their wifes were surrogate mother. There is
only 14 of 92 participants (15%) agreed and 7 of 92 participants conditionally agreed with that.
The rest had no idea. Besides, while 36% of respondents would choose surrogacy as an
alternative way if they were incapable of giving a birth, 64% of them did not. This displays that
surrogacy is unpopular in Vietnam and Vietnamese seems to be still hesitate about surrogacy
even if they do not have another way to have their own child.
Participants’ attitudes toward legalizing surrogacy in Vietnam were also provided by this
questionnaire. The questionnaire data were showed in chart 1 below.

The chart illustrate that the proportions of two different opinions were closely to equal. It
can be seen that 51% of participants agreed to legalize surrogacy while 49% of those were in
contrast.


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The chart below, in the other hand, shows clearly uneven percentages of Vietnamese
participants’ attitudes toward commercialising surrogacy.

67% of participants believed that commercialising surrogacy – parents give amount of
money to surrogate mother as the cost of helping them making their own child - was reasonable
and acceptable. In contrast, 36% of participants considered commercialising surrogacy as bad
moral and custom.
Discussion
Clear evidence is supported for an assertion that Vietnammes has been maitaining
prejudice against surrogacy. Nearly a half of participants disagreed with legalizing surrogacy
because of some reasons. First, they thought that legalizing surrogacy would give some
individuals who have ability to give a birth naturally but fear hardship caused by being pregnant
a chance to apply surrogacy for inhuman purposes. Second, they supposed unexpected case that
is difficult to respond. For example, if an imperfection baby was born, who would take
responsibility for this fault, parents or surrogate mother? It would be a hard problem because
both of them might be the cause leading to this trouble. It’s surprising that commercialising
surrogacy, which the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Justice is still considering on, was
not one of the negative situations majority of participants concern. Whereas, more than a half of
participants support legalizing surrogacy. They believed that every couple crave to be parents so
legalizing surrogacy was a humanitarian activity which helps infertile couple legally have their
own child. Moreover, although surrogacy has not been legal, it occurred stealthy in Vietnam.
This results in serious risk to baby and surrogate mother health and the situation of legal dispute.


SURROGACY AND ATTITUDES OF VIETNAMESE
As a result, legalizing surrogacy would limit those bad situations. It also was suggested that
legalizing surrogacy creates legal employment opportunities, which may contribute to decrease
in unemployment rate, and ease the prejudice of Vietnamese to surrogacy.

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Conclusion
The study found that Vietnamese has been maintaining prejudice against surrogacy.
Surrogacy have not been popular in Vietnam and Vietnamese seems to be still hesitate about
surrogacy even if they do not have another way to have their own child. Moreover, the research
found evidences for that Vietnamese nowadays does not consider commercializing surrogacy as
bad moral and custom as many people thought. In addition, the legalization of surrogacy is also
supported by this paper. The limits of this paper are the number of survey was small, the

time for observation was short, so it could not represent for the whole country.
Although Vietnamese stills keep negative attitudes toward surrogacy, it cannot be denied
that the advantages of legalizing surrogacy are greater than disadvantages. It is especially
significant to those who cannot naturally birth a child. Surrogacy makes the dream of being
parenthood of infertile couples be come true. It will be inhuman if we ignore that longing.
Therefore, surrogacy is really a full of humane activity needs legalizing.


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References
Lo ngai viec mang thai ho se khien tre gap tranh chap. (2014, May 27). anninhthudo.vn.
Retrieved June 8, 2014, from />%E1%BB%99
Mot so van de phap ly ve mang thai ho. (n.d.). . Retrieved June 8, 2014, from
/>New surrogacy laws to allow couples chance at parenthood. (2013, August 13). . Retrieved June
8, 2014, from />Vietnam considers legalizing surrogacy for humanitarian purposes. (2013, April 17).Thanh Nien

Daily. Retrieved June 8, 2014, from />Vietnam deliberating on surrogate births - News VietNamNet. (2013, May 25). Vietnam
deliberating on surrogate births - News VietNamNet. Retrieved June 8, 2014, from
/>

SURROGACY AND ATTITUDES OF VIETNAMESE
Appendix A
QUESTIONNAIRE
Dear Mr/Ms,
We are students from BBus program; class BBus 4.4, ISB of University of Economics Ho Chi
Minh City. We are doing research on attitudes of Vietnamese toward surrogacy and legalizing
surrogacy.
Please give us your gender and your age.
•
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You are:
a. Male
b. Female
a. under 18 years old
b. from 18 to 25 old
c. above 25 years old
I. Attitudes of Vietnamese toward surrogacy
1 Have you ever seen a surrogacy before?
a Yes
b No
2 Do you think that social prejudices against surrogacy still exist?
a Yes
b No
3 If you can not birth naturally a child, may the surrogate be your alternative ?

a Yes
b No
4 If you are in the position of a husband, will you consent to your wife to be surrogate
mother?
a Yes
b No
c Your own ideas:.................

II. Attitudes of Vietnamese toward the legalization of surrogacy

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SURROGACY AND ATTITUDES OF VIETNAMESE
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In your opinion, what are the advantages of legalizing surrogacy carrying? (Please tick
the box if it is your answer)
Legalizing surrogacy was a humanitarian activity which helps infertile parents legally
have their own child
Although surrogacy has not been legal, it occurred stealthy in Vietnam. This results in
serious risk to baby and surrogate mother health and the situation of legal dispute. As
a result, legalizing surrogacy would limit those bad situations
Legalizing surrogacy creates legal employment opportunities, which may contribute

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to decrease in unemployment rate, and ease the prejudice of Vietnamese to surrogacy

Your own ideas: ………
In your opinion, what are the disadvantages of legalizing surrogacy carrying? (Please tick
the box if it is your answer)
Legalizing surrogacy would give some individuals who have ability to give a birth
naturally but fear hardship caused by being pregnant a chance to apply surrogacy for

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inhuman purposes.
Legalizing surrogacy may lead to unexpected case that is difficult to respond
Your own ideas: …
In your opinion, the commercialization of surrogacy, in other words, that the parents need

a
b
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a
b

to spend some money for surrogate mother is:
Reasonable and acceptable
Bad moral and custom
In your opinion, should surrogacy be legalized?
Yes
No
The end
(Thank you for your corporation)