Italy and Chile issue declaration calling for global end to surrogacy

Italy and Chile joined forces to issue a declaration this past week, calling for a worldwide moratorium on surrogacy and arguing that it commodifies human life and puts women at risk.

Key Takeaways:

• Italy and Chile have issued a declaration to abolish surrogacy.

• The countries are calling for a ban on international surrogacy and an international binding agreement.

• They maintain that surrogacy results in multiple human rights violations and abuses, for both women and children.

The Details:

The countries, joined by Cameroon and the Holy See, came together during an event moderated by ADF International, prior to the European Union’s Human Rights Council. In their declaration, the international groups stated their ultimate goal to abolish surrogacy, calling for an international moratorium on the practice in the process of creating an international binding agreement.

The declaration noted that surrogacy results in multiple human rights violations and abuses, including the commodification of both women and children, and the unnatural separation of children with the women who carried and birthed them.

The coalition cited other abuses of surrogacy, including coercion, medical risks, exploitation, and loss of agency.

Reem Alsalem, the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, supported the declaration, saying:

“The states that are joining the declaration today recognise that surrogacy raises… fundamental concerns relating to human dignity [and] the commodification of women and children. They recognise that these concerns are not only limited to commercial arrangements, but that fragmented national approaches will facilitate the growth of a global cross-border market that transfers harm onto women and children in more vulnerable jurisdictions…This declaration shows that policy action is possible."

Giorgio Mazzoli, Director of UN Advocacy at ADF International, also emphasized the need for a coordinated international response to stop the harms of surrogacy.

“International law already supports the position that surrogacy is incompatible with human dignity and the rights of both women and children – yet its rapid expansion and cross-border loopholes demand a coordinated global response,” he said.

The Big Picture:

Though surrogacy has been a booming business internationally, some countries are starting to take notice of its inherent harms. According to ADF International, Italy became the first country to outlaw surrogacy in 2024, and in 2025, Slovakia also banned the practice. Earlier this year, Chile took steps to begin banning surrogacy.

Last fall, the European Union issued a resolution condemning surrogacy. In early 2025, Alsalem issued a report to the United Nations calling for a ban on all commercial surrogacy.

Why It Matters:

As noted in the declaration, surrogacy exploits both women and children, treating them both as commodities.

Often, wealthy foreigners will use international surrogates in poor countries. These women, living in poverty, turn to surrogacy as a way of being able to provide for their families. Few realize that they are at a higher risk for numerous complications, including gestational diabetes, hypertension related to pregnancy, and post-birth bleeding complications.

The children, too, are at risk of 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.

There have been many surrogacy-related horror stories, including human trafficking, scams, child abandonment, and forced abortions.

The Bottom Line:

By its very nature, surrogacy is wrong. More countries need to recognize this and fight for its complete abolition.