Pope calls for global ban on surrogacy

Pope Francis, in his New Year's address to diplomats at the Vatican on Monday, called for a worldwide prohibition on surrogacy, denouncing the practice of a woman carrying someone else's child as "deplorable." The 87-year-old pontiff characterized surrogacy as a serious affront to the dignity of both the woman and the child involved.

In a speech that predominantly focused on urging an end to global conflicts, the leader of the global Catholic Church emphasized the importance of respecting life as a crucial element in the pursuit of peace. Pope Francis stressed the significance of safeguarding the life of the unborn child in the mother's womb, emphasizing that such life should not be subjected to suppression or treated as a commodity for trafficking.

Expressing his deep disapproval of surrogate motherhood, the Pope highlighted it as a severe violation of the dignity of both the woman and the child, built on the exploitation of the mother's material needs. He firmly asserted that a child is a gift, never to be regarded as the foundation of a commercial agreement. Consequently, Pope Francis voiced his hope for a collective effort by the international community to universally outlaw the practice of surrogacy.

This recent call echoes the Pope's previous condemnation of surrogacy in June 2022, describing it as an "inhuman" practice. While acknowledging that altruistic surrogacy, where a woman gives birth without financial gain (excluding expenses) for another woman or couple, is legal in several countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands, the UK, Canada, Brazil, and Colombia, the Pope made a clear distinction, emphasizing that any form of commercial surrogacy, permitted in certain U.S. states, is objectionable.