One for debate: Birth Tourism

Relaxing and luxurious babymoon vacations for parents-to-be have been around for sometime. And so has medical tourism, for those looking to travel overseas for a medical procedure. As far as we know, the Marmara Hotel has created the first babymoon/medical tourism hybrid, a niche they’ve coined “birth tourism.”

For most expectant parents, travel is something to be minimized during the final weeks of pregnancy so as to increase the chances of giving birth close to home. For “birth tourists,” on the other hand, delivering on foreign soil is the ultimate goal—primarily to obtain foreign citizenship for the newborn.

Thanks to the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, children born on U.S. soil automatically become U.S. citizens, regardless of where their parents hail from. Hence the phenomenon of U.S. birth tourism, which appears to be a growing trend. Enter New York City’s Marmara Manhattan hotel. For pregnant mothers, “what we offer is simply a one-bedroom suite for $7,750 (plus taxes) for a month’s accommodation, with airport transfer, baby cradle and a gift set for the mother,” Marmara Hotel spokeswoman Alexandra Ballantine told abcnews.go.com.

The hotel estimates the total cost of the package at $45,000; most women stay for two months, and pay for their own medical care, with hospital costs approaching $30,000. The added benefits of the hefty price tag? U.S. citizenship for the child, with the ability to travel freely to and from the U.S. Some, in fact, view the children of birth tourists as “anchor babies,” since they can help bring about the eventual immigration of an entire family.

Therein lies both a controversial topic from an immigration point, and certainly has its opponents. On the other hand, it also presents an opportunity for hospitality providers to expand their offerings.

Certainly a topic for friendly debate over the dinner table!