It is the most beautiful day of your life. Suddenly, gazing up at you with bleary and innocent eyes is the baby you have waited for nine long months to meet.

But for Lily Collins, Golden Globe-nominated actress and star of Netflix's Emily in Paris, the joy did not last long. Announcing the birth of her child on Instagram, she received a mountain of abuse from social media users.

Collins and McDowell had used a surrogateIn cloning, the female carries and gives birth to the clone, but is not biologically related and does not pass on its genes to the clone.. The announcement prompted concerns about surrogacy, with people describing it as "exploitativeUsing someone or something in an unfair or morally wrong way - but in a way that benefits you. " and asking why it is legal to "rent a womb".

The commercial surrogacy industry is expected to reach a worth of $129 billion (£104 billion) by 2032.¹ Some countries, like Italy, Spain, France and Germany, outlaw all forms of surrogacy. In the UK, US and Canada surrogacy is allowed in different forms.

The UK has a number of safeguardsMeasures taken for protection. to make sure exploitation does not take place, including a ban on commercial surrogacy: surrogates can be compensated for costs but not paid.

Not everywhere is so conscious of the possible ills. In countries like Georgia, Mexico, Kenya and Ukraine, for-profit companies have offered economically vulnerablePeople who do not have enough money to live comfortably. women money to carry babies.²

Such stories have sparked outrage. Some think that surrogacy is a way of commodifying women's bodies. But others say it is the most natural thing in the world. For thousands of years, women have been volunteering to give birth on behalf of each other.

It is not always a matter of money. Many parents who use surrogacy are struggling with infertility, which can be caused by anything from eating disorders or genetics to cancer. Others are gay couples who want to start a family. Some surrogates just want to give others the gift of new life.

Did Lily Collins do anything wrong?

Yes: Surrogacy might be legal in some countries, but it is still morally wrong. You cannot rent a woman's body to satisfy your own urge for a child. A woman's body is not merely a product to be traded by rich celebrities.

No: Collins might have any number of medical issues that mean she cannot have a child on her own. It is not anybody else's place to condemn an agreement that she came to willingly with somebody else to deliver her child.

Or... In these kinds of situations, the devil is in the details. There are plenty of ethical ways to use surrogacy, and in fact women have been doing so for hundreds of years. But commercial surrogacy should certainly be interrogated and is not always ethical.

Surrogate - In cloning, the female carries and gives birth to the clone, but is not biologically related and does not pass on its genes to the clone.

Exploitative - Using someone or something in an unfair or morally wrong way - but in a way that benefits you.

Safeguards - Measures taken for protection.

Economically Vulnerable - People who do not have enough money to live comfortably.