The Vatican has expressed strong support for an international campaign to ban surrogacy, citing concerns about the commercialization of life. A conference hosted by a Vatican-affiliated university focused on promoting an international treaty to outlaw surrogacy, arguing that the practice violates U.N. conventions protecting the rights of the child and surrogate mother. The debate revolves around whether there is a fundamental right to have a child or if the rights of children should take precedence over the desires of potential parents. While some parts of the developing world and western Europe support the campaign to ban surrogacy, countries like Canada and the United States have highly regulated arrangements that cater to heterosexual and homosexual couples.
Pope Francis has called for a global ban on surrogacy, labeling it a violation of human dignity that exploits the financial needs of surrogate mothers. A proponent of the ban, Olivia Maurel, shared her personal story at the conference, attributing mental health issues to the trauma of abandonment she experienced as a child born via surrogacy. Maurel believes that while there are many happy stories of families using surrogate mothers, the practice is unethical and wrong, as it sacrifices the rights of children for the desires of adults to have a child. She argues that surrogacy violates the rights of children by separating them from their birth mothers for the benefit of others to raise them.
The Vatican’s position on surrogacy is rooted in the belief that human life begins at conception and should be respected and dignified from that moment on. They view surrogacy as a practice that commercializes human procreation, reducing it to individual will and desire, where the powerful and wealthy prevail. The Vatican is calling for a broad-based alliance to ban surrogacy, transcending traditional ideological and political boundaries. Italy’s main gay family advocacy group, Rainbow Families, organized a pro-surrogacy counter-rally to oppose proposals by the Italian government to criminalize the use of surrogate mothers abroad.
In the United States, Resolve, the National Infertility Association, has criticized calls for a universal ban on surrogacy, emphasizing that everyone deserves the right to build a family and should have access to all family building options. They argue that surrogacy in the U.S. is regulated with safeguards to protect all parties involved, including separate legal representation and mental health evaluations. Only a small percentage of pregnancies in the U.S. involve surrogacy, and Resolve believes that negative perceptions of assisted reproductive technology can be discouraging for those experiencing infertility.
At the Rome conference, Velina Todorova, a Bulgarian member of the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child, highlighted the importance of considering the rights of children born through surrogacy. While the U.N. committee has not taken a definitive position on surrogacy, their concern lies with ensuring the rights and well-being of children in such situations. The debate over surrogacy continues to spark discussions on a global scale, with differing perspectives on the ethical implications and implications for the rights of children and prospective parents. It remains to be seen how countries and international organizations will navigate the complex issues surrounding surrogacy in the future.
