Most fans were overjoyed to learn that Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra had welcomed a new baby via surrogate. Fans shared their support via social media, while news publications discussed the news in glowing terms. But one self-described feminist writer is now facing backlash for speaking out against surrogacy the same day Jonas and Chopra made their big announcement.
Taslima Nasreen is a Bangladeshi poet and novelist with a large Twitter following. She was banished from her home country and India for some of her controversial writing. Now, she’s stirring up controversy again with her opinions on surrogacy in general, plus how Hollywood celebrities and other wealthy people use the practice to grow their families.
“How do those mothers feel when they get their readymade babies through surrogacy? Do they have the same feelings for the babies like the mothers who give birth to the babies?” she shared on Twitter January 22.
How do those mothers feel when they get their readymade babies through surrogacy? Do they have the same feelings for the babies like the mothers who give birth to the babies?
— taslima nasreen (@taslimanasreen) January 22, 2022
When critics came after her, Nasreen followed up with multiple tweets defending her position.
“Surrogacy is possible because there are poor women,” she shared. “Rich people always want the existence of poverty in the society for their own interests. If you badly need to raise a child, adopt a homeless one. Children must inherit your traits—it is just a selfish narcissistic ego.”
She continued: “I won’t accept surrogacy until rich women become surrogate mom. I won’t accept burqa until men wear it out of love. I won’t accept prostitution until male prostitutions [sic] [are] built & men wait for female customers. Otherwise surrogacy, burqa, prostitution [are] just exploitation of women [and] poor.”
In another tweet, Nasreen claimed that her tweets had “nothing to do with Priyanka-Nick” and that she “loved the couple,” but followers couldn’t help but notice the timing of her statements.
Chopra, 39 and Jonas, 29, shared their baby news on Instagram Friday. “We are overjoyed to confirm that we have welcomed a baby via surrogate. We respectfully ask for privacy during this special time as we focus on our family,” they both shared on their respective pages. No more details about the baby’s name or sex were given.
In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Chopra discussed growing their family in the future but did not let on that there was already a baby on the way at that point.
“[Babies are] a big part of our desire for the future,” she told the publication. “By God’s grace when it happens, it happens.”
Surrogacy is becoming more commonplace in general, but it’s an especially popular choice in the Hollywood community. Alec and Hilaria Baldwin, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, Gabrielle Union and Dwayne Wade, Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, and Ellen Pompeo and Chris Ivery are just some of the heterosexual couples who have used surrogates. Then there are gay celebrities, including Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen, who have employed surrogates to physically be able to have children.
Some single women, like Lucy Liu, also opted to use surrogacy rather than other methods to have children. A-listers like Tyra Banks discussed issues with infertility as her reason for choosing surrogacy. Others expressed how surrogacy worked better in terms of their careers.
“[Surrogacy] just seemed like the right option for me because I was working and I didn’t know when I was going to be able to stop,” Liu told People in 2016, “I decided that was probably the best solution for me, and it turned out to be great.”