Deconstructing social anthropology discourses in their support of surrogacy: The case of France.

In France, surrogacy – known as 'Gestation Pour Autrui' (GPA) – is forbidden by law. The most ardent supporters of this practice are social anthropologists and some sociologists, many of them endorsing the political programme of activist groups and pushing forward new regulations to authorize surrogacy. The aim of this article is three-fold: (1) to analyse the place social anthropology has taken in the development of a discourse in favour of the practice; (2) to challenge the usefulness of comparisons with exotic societies; and (3) to deconstruct the semantic universe developed to hide the commoditization aspects of this practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]