A young Indian woman of 23, Katta Sridevi, attempted to commit suicide after being forced by doctors to become a surrogate mother.
When her own mother became ill, she enlisted the help of a friend who was a nurse. The friend promised her 3.5 lakh[1] if she agreed to become a surrogate mother, and introduced her to a doctor working in medically assisted reproduction Rajendra Prasad. After the initial round of IVF injections, she refused to go further, but doctors detained her illegally in the hospital. She eventually managed to escape after two days and started proceedings on 11 August 2018. The doctors categorically denied the accusation and announced that the young woman had been hospitalised and treated because of an illness.
According to the young woman, the hospital doctors went to see her and threatened to kill her and her family if she did not withdraw legal proceedings. Following harassment from these doctors, she attempted to commit suicide. An investigation is currently under way.
[1] 3,500,000 rupees – €4,131.
New Indian Express (09/10/2018)