Abstract

The purpose of this essay is to reflect on the possible goodness of surrogate motherhood. Instead of to reconstruct the history of the scientific debate on surrogacy, the author, focusing on three issues, tries to offer some helpful remarks. The problems discussed are: is surrogacy exploitation or self-realization of women? Is surrogacy a sales contract for the purchase of human being or a gift? Is surrogacy dishuman or an authentic self-project? Successively, the sociological theory by Hans Joas of the sacredness of the person is discussed, especially with regard to the gift of life.