European Union issues resolution against surrogacy

The European Union (EU) issued a resolution condemning surrogacy, and the European Parliament held a meeting to discuss its harms in response.

Key Takeaways:

• Earlier this year, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls, Reem Alsalem, called for an end to all surrogacy.

• The EU responded by issuing a resolution condemning the practice.

• This week, the European Parliament held a panel with experts including Alsalem and Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) to further discuss the ethical issues with surrogacy.

The Details:

According to an ADF press release, the European Parliament held a panel titled, “Surrogacy: An Ethical and Political Challenge for Europe." Present was Alsalem along with ADF International's Carmen Correas, both of whom discussed how surrogacy harms both women and children.

Earlier this month, the EU issued a resolution which:

Condemns the practice of surrogacy, which involves the reproductive exploitation and use of women’s bodies for financial or other gain, in particular in the case of especially vulnerable women in third countries; calls on the Commission to take measures to support ending this phenomenon.

This followed Alsalem's report, which called for an end to all surrogacy. After presenting her research, ADF International and over 180 NGOs agreed with her recommendations and findings. Alsalem said all surrogacy, whether "altruistic" or commercial, commodifies and exploits both women and children and puts them at risk.

"Surrogacy treats women and children as commodities," Correas said at the panel. "The European Union has taken an important step in acknowledging its inherent harms. We urge policymakers to move swiftly toward a clear, coordinated legal prohibition that protects the dignity and rights of all involved."

Why It Matters:

There are widespread abuses in the fertility industry, especially regarding surrogacy. Surrogate mothers often live in poverty and choose to become surrogates for wealthy foreigners with the hope of being able to provide for their families.

Additionally, surrogate mothers are at a higher risk for numerous complications, including gestational diabetes, hypertension related to pregnancy, and post-birth bleeding complications.

As noted by Alsalem, surrogacy also places children at risk, as IVF is associated with higher risks including low birth weight and prematurity. Separating babies from their birth mothers, biologically related or not, is also known to cause trauma, and can even be known to permanently alter adult brain function.

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The Bottom Line:

Surrogacy is inherently exploitative, and it is a relief to know that the world is finally waking up to its harms.