Pope Francis Seeks Worldwide Ban On Surrogacy

Pope Francis, in his New Year's address to diplomats at the Vatican on Monday, urged for a worldwide ban on surrogacy, denouncing the practice of a woman carrying another person's child as "deplorable." The 87-year-old pontiff emphasized that surrogacy constitutes a "grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child."

Amid his broader appeal for an end to global conflicts, the head of the Catholic Church highlighted the importance of respecting life, particularly focusing on the unborn child's life in the mother's womb. Pope Francis asserted that this respect should prevent the suppression of life or its transformation into an object of trafficking.

Expressing his strong disapproval of surrogate motherhood, he condemned the exploitation of situations related to the material needs of the mother. The pope stressed that a child should be viewed as a gift and not as the foundation for a commercial contract. He concluded by expressing hope for international efforts to universally prohibit the practice of surrogacy.

This recent call for a global ban on surrogacy echoes the pope's previous condemnation of the practice in June 2022, where he characterized surrogacy as an "inhuman" practice. The pope's remarks contribute to the ongoing debate on the ethical dimensions of surrogacy and its implications for the dignity of women and children.