Final answer:
The difference between commercial and altruistic surrogacy is based on financial compensation; commercial surrogacy includes a fee for the surrogate, while altruistic surrogacy involves volunteering without financial benefit. Ethical considerations differentiate the two, with altruistic actions potentially viewed as more morally commendable. Surrogacy can involve a surrogate mother using her own eggs or being a gestational carrier for an unrelated embryo.
Step-by-step explanation:
The primary difference between commercial surrogacy and altruistic surrogacy lies in the financial arrangement between the surrogate mother and the intended parents. In commercial surrogacy, the surrogate mother is compensated for her services beyond just medical expenses, often receiving a fee for carrying the child. This type of surrogacy is a financial transaction as well as an emotional and physical one. On the other hand, altruistic surrogacy does not involve any payment to the surrogate beyond the necessary medical expenses. In this arrangement, the surrogate mother volunteers to carry the pregnancy for the intended parents out of a sense of goodwill, without the expectation of financial reward.
In the context of moral philosophy, the importance of altruism plays a role in how society views each type of surrogacy. Altruistic surrogacy might be seen as a more morally acceptable practice to some ethicists because it aligns with selfless care for others' well-being, while commercial surrogacy may raise ethical questions about the commodification of the body and the potential for exploitation.
Regarding the methods of conception in surrogacy, a surrogate mother may become pregnant using the man's sperm and her own egg, making her the child's biological mother, or she may act as a gestational carrier by carrying an embryo that is not biologically related to her. The latter is a service often sought by individuals who cannot carry a pregnancy themselves due to various medical reasons or by same-sex male couples.