Pope Francis Calls For a Universal Ban On Surrogacy
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Pope Francis has called for a universal ban on surrogacy and termed the practice “deplorable”.
The Pope has previously slammed surrogacy and the latest attack came during a “State of the World” address – to ambassadors of the 184 countries
“I deem deplorable the practice of so-called surrogate motherhood, which represents a grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child, based on the exploitation of situations of the mother’s material needs,” the Pope said.
“A child is always a gift and never the basis of a commercial contract. Consequently, I express my hope for an effort by the international community to prohibit this practice universally,” the Pope added.
‘Commercial Surrogacy Illegal’
This is not the first time Pope Francis has made his views clear on surrogacy. In 2022, Pope Francis called surrogacy “inhuman” and claimed that “women, almost all poor, are exploited, and children are treated like goods.”
Commercial surrogacy is illegal in Australia and the arrangement between parents and a surrogate mother has to be altruistic.
The Pope’s comments come just weeks after the Vatican approved blessings for same-sex couples in churches. Last year the Vatican had said that children of same-sex couples could be baptised, as long as there was a “well-founded hope that he or she will be educated in the Catholic religion.”
