Monday January 8, during his diplomatic greetings at the Vatican, Pope Francis invited the international community to commit to banning surrogacy (GPA), denouncing a serious attack on the “human body”.
“The path to peace requires respect for life, for every human life, starting with that of the unborn child in the mother’s womb, which cannot be suppressed or become an object of commercialization,” said Francis during his greetings to the diplomatic corps at the Vatican. “In this regard, I consider that the practice of surrogacy is regrettable, because it seriously undermines the dignity of women and children,” he added. “I therefore hope that the international community will commit to universally banning this practice.”
The Catholic Church is opposed to GPA, a medically assisted procreation technique consisting of implanting an embryo in the uterus of a surrogate mother, who gives the baby to a requesting couple at birth.
“An inhumane practice”
In June 2022, the Argentine Jesuit had already described surrogacy as an “inhumane practice”. In November 2023, the Vatican indicated that children of same-sex couples, whether adopted or born through surrogacy, could be baptized.
Most European countries prohibit surrogacy. The use of surrogate mothers is sometimes authorized or tolerated as long as it is not paid (Belgium, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Canada, Brazil, Colombia). Commercial surrogacy, therefore paid surrogacy, is authorized in certain American states.