While surrogacy brings joy to the parents who can never bear their own child, it is still a matter of concern, and it is often an avenue of exploiting the most vulnerable.

In some countries, surrogacy is legal, while in others it is not. Some states have proper laws and procedures for surrogate mothers, whereas some countries exploit surrogate mothers and there's no one to protect their rights.

When parents cannot have their own baby, they may seek out the support of assisted reproduction. There are two types of surrogacy  - gestational, where a fertilized egg is implanted in the surrogate mother; and traditional surrogacy, where the surrogate mother’s own egg is used.

The history of surrogacy dates back much further than you and I can fathom. Recent technological advancements and cultural changes, as well as the decision of women to have pregnancies later in life have fueled the rise in surrogacy.

The global industry of commercial surrogacy – the phenomenon of women renting their wombs to clients to deliver babies – is estimated to generate somewhere around $6 billion annually. The UK alone has seen an upsurge in surrogate births and the demand for surrogate mothers has tripled in recent years: from 121 in 2011 to 368 in 2018. However, this might not be the exact number of surrogate births since many cases go unregistered.

Surrogacy is often a blessing for same-sex couples, couples with fertility issues or other health complications, or single parents who want to have their own family. And in most cases, it is a smooth process for both the parties involved. But exploitation, injustice, and potential mistreatment have been making the headlines recently.

Countries like Germany, France and Spain ban surrogacy as they see it as disrespecting the dignity of women. And using women as a means to fulfill someone else's need is not something that wants to encourage. While other countries like the UK, view surrogacy as a gift from one woman to another and allow it on an "altruistic," expenses-only basis.

Then there are places like California, Russia, and Ukraine, which allow commercial surrogacy since they feel it's a woman's choice to decide if she wants to be involved in bearing someone else's child for a fee.

All these differences in-laws have given rise to health tourism. When couples face challenges in their own country, they travel to those parts of the world which have more relaxed laws or no laws at all. Yet due to the rise in exploitation, countries like India, Thailand, Cambodia, and Nepal, which once used to be surrogate hubs, are now shutting down their industries.

But, when one door closes, others open. Now, countries like Kenya, Ukraine, and Nigeria are becoming international surrogacy destinations, and the laws are highly unregulated. A surrogate in Ukraine earns around $30,000-$45,000, which is an attractive sum for socially vulnerable women. Moreover, there have been reports on how poorly these women are treated with some clinics denying payment in cases of miscarriage.

RELATED: 20 Times Surrogates Were Allowed To Keep The Baby

Globally, countries not only differ in culture and values, but there is also a lot of controversy surrounding the entire surrogacy process. Some nations consider the surrogate as the legal parent, whereas others assign parenthood to the commissioning parents from the moment of birth. As in the case of Baby Manji, this can jeopardize the future of the newborn, and he or she might face unnecessary hardships.

To mitigate all the gaps and to bring parity to surrogacy laws is not an easy task. However, the Hague Conference on Private International Law, a intergovernmental body,  is trying to explore the possibility of forming standardized international rules for authorities to recognize the parenthood of children born abroad through surrogacy. And given the many issues at hand, a global conversation on surrogacy is certainly needed at this time.

NEXT: New Study Reveals About 1 In 1,000 Babies Are Born Intersex