# Reproductive trauma, vulnerable mothers, and disenfranchised grief: reflecting on the affective dimensions of surrogacy practice in Indian literary and film narratives

## TL;DR

This paper explores the emotional struggles of intending mothers in surrogacy through Indian films and literature, highlighting their marginalized status and unacknowledged grief.

## Contribution

The study introduces a focus on the psychological and sociocultural challenges faced by intending mothers in surrogacy, often overlooked in existing research.

## Key findings

- Intending mothers experience reproductive trauma and disenfranchised grief in patriarchal contexts.
- Indian literary and film narratives reveal the marginalized position of intending mothers.
- The research advocates for a human rights-based approach to reproductive decision-making.

## Abstract

Drawing on an interdisciplinary approach, this study adopts and appropriates critical cultural theories such as Julia Kristeva’s abjection and Pierre Bourdieu’s social theories to examine the entangled and affective complexities of intending mothers, their reproductive trauma, and disenfranchised grief through the lens of Indian films such as Filhaal (2002) and works of fiction such as Baby Makers: A Story of Indian Surrogacy (2014) and Kartikeya: The Destroyer’s Son (2017). Ample research has examined surrogate mothers’ precarious position in the context of a surrogacy arrangement. However, not much has been discussed to reflect on the vulnerable status of the intending mothers who resort to surrogacy to fulfil their desire for motherhood. Thus, this study aims to highlight the significance of the selected fictional accounts to unfold the vulnerable and marginalised status of the intending mothers in a patriarchal society like India, where they find acceptance for their womanhood and earn respect and autonomy only through the power of their womb. The paper adopts generic fluidity and intersectionality as a methodology to critically analyse how the selected literature and film narratives can aid in instilling in us sensitivity towards the complex sociocultural positionality of the intending mothers who are normatively represented in popular discourses as immoral and monstrous. Emphasising the significance of the human rights-based approach to sexual and reproductive health, this research advocates for developing a non-discriminatory attitude towards intending mothers whose reproductive decision-making, privacy, and confidentiality related to the use of reproductive technology should be treated with respect and dignity.

There has been ample research to understand the vulnerable status of surrogate mothers. But little research examines how psychological, social, and cultural challenges affect the decision-making of intending mothers. Intending parents enter into a contract with a surrogate to bear their children. This article analyses how some Indian films and stories treat the difficulties intending mothers face. Mainstream society does not usually acknowledge any grief they may feel. This research advocates acknowledging the grief of the intending mothers. The article spotlights the intending mothers’ vulnerability, reproductive trauma, and disenfranchised grief. It aims to contribute to research narratives on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). SRHR discourse works towards a society that acknowledges reproductive decision-making as human rights.