Vatican foreign minister denounces surrogacy as 'the sale of a child'

The Vatican foreign minister denounced surrogacy in recent remarks, saying it reduces both women and children to objects to be sold.

Key Takeaways:

• Archbishop Paul R. Gallagher, the Vatican foreign minister, spoke at a recent event about the commodification of women and children in surrogacy.

• Gallagher said surrogacy exploits women and turns children into products to be sold.

• He pointed out that Catholic teachings on the subject remain consistent, with both Pope Francis and Pope Leo condemning the practice of surrogacy.

The Details:

Numerous diplomats recently participated in a panel called “A United Front for Human Dignity: Preventing the Commodification of Women and Children in Surrogacy.”

OSV News reported that, in addition to Vatican foreign minister Archbishop Paul R. Gallagher, this included Eugenia Maria Roccella, the Italian minister for family, birth rate and equal opportunities; Francesco Di Nitto, Italian ambassador to the Holy See; and Georgios Poulides, ambassador of Cyprus to the Holy See and dean of the diplomatic corps.

During his speech, Gallagher said surrogacy violates the rights of both women and preborn children.

“One cannot evade reality in its essential core: This practice (surrogacy) translates into the sale of a child,” he said. “The central point of surrogacy lies in the commodification of the person, which entails a grave violation of their dignity. It is precisely for this reason that the Catholic Church dedicates particular attention to it."

Gallagher also pointed to remarks from both Pope Francis and Pope Leo. Pope Francis had been an outspoken advocate for life, and had spoken specifically against surrogacy, which he called "deplorable." Similarly, Pope Leo condemned the practice in remarks made to diplomats associated with the Vatican.

“By transforming gestation into a negotiable service, this violates the dignity both of the child, who is reduced to a ‘product,’ and of the mother, exploiting her body and the generative process, and distorting the original relational calling of the family,” Pope Leo said.

In his comments, Gallagher said that surrogacy turns a child into “a product.” This is evidenced, he argued, by the existence of contracts which guarantee “the expected characteristics of the unborn child” and as such, the child is destroyed “if they are not healthy or do not correspond to what was ordered, as happens with merchandise.”

But even if these circumstances were not present, surrogacy would still be illicit, said, Gallagher.

“The child — and it is painful to note this — is objectified, often sold, transferred from one person to another, and in cases of non-altruistic surrogacy, the final payment occurs precisely at the moment of the delivery of the newborn,” he said.

In short, he argued that surrogacy meets the criteria to be seen as the literal sale of a child.

For women, it is no better, with Gallagher pointing out that surrogacy turns women into “an instrument of reproductive services, imposing a fracture between the woman’s identity and her biological and relational bond with the child she carries in her womb.”

Gallagher concluded by calling for a global ban on the practice.

“To reach a universal ban, a broad front of consensus at the level of civil society and non-governmental organizations, capable of supporting this objective with determination, is necessary,” he said. “It is therefore important not to limit oneself to involving those who already fully share this vision, but to build pragmatic alliances oriented toward the achievement of a common goal.”

The Big Picture:

As Gallagher pointed out, surrogacy is inherently exploitative, and creates widespread harm. Yet the fertility industry remains largely unregulated, allowing the practice to flourish unchecked.

Surrogate mothers often live in poverty, particularly in developing countries, and many choose to become surrogates in an attempt to provide for their families. The people who often hire surrogate mothers are wealthy foreigners, looking to rent a woman's body at the lowest possible price. Meanwhile, surrogates are at a higher risk for numerous complications, like gestational diabetes, hypertension related to pregnancy, and post-birth bleeding complications.

Children also face risks with surrogacy, as in vitro fertilization (IVF) is associated with higher risks of complications like low birth weight and prematurity. Separating babies from their birth mothers, whether they are biologically related or not, is known to cause lifelong trauma, which can go on to impact brain function.

There have also been increasing numbers of shocking horror stories, so much so that even the pro-abortion European Union has issued a resolution condemning surrogacy. These stories shine a spotlight on the widespread abuses in the fertility industry.

The Bottom Line:

Gallagher is correct in saying that surrogacy inherently commodify human beings. As he said, “Every person possesses a unique value which is incompatible with any treatment that reduces them to an object of transaction, even in the apparently generous form of donation."