Pope Francis reiterated his call for a worldwide prohibition on surrogacy, condemning the act of a woman carrying another individual’s child as “deplorable.”
During his New Year’s address to diplomats at the Vatican, the 87-year-old pontiff emphasized that surrogacy constitutes a “grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child.”
In a speech primarily focused on urging an end to global conflicts, the leader of the global Catholic Church emphasized, “The path to peace calls for respect for life.”
He asserted, “This begins with the life of the unborn child in the mother’s womb, which cannot be suppressed or turned into an object of trafficking.”
Regarding surrogacy, he expressed his disapproval, stating, “In this regard, I deem deplorable the practice of so-called surrogate motherhood, which represents a grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child, based on the exploitation of situations of the mother’s material needs.”
The pontiff emphasized, “A child is always a gift and never the basis of a commercial contract. Consequently, I express my hope for an effort by the international community to prohibit this practice universally.”
Back in June 2022, the pope had condemned surrogacy as an “inhuman” practice.
“Altruistic” surrogacy, where a woman gives birth to a baby on behalf of another woman or couple without monetary exchange, except for necessary expenses, is legally permitted in countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands, the UK, Canada, Brazil, and Colombia.
Commercial surrogacy is allowed in certain US states.
