From Le Figaro with AFP
Published 1 hour ago, updated 55 minutes ago
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Pope Francis on Monday called on the international community to put an end to the practice of surrogacy (GPA), which he called an “inhumane practice.”
Pope Francis on Monday called on the international community to advocate for a ban on surrogacy (GPA), denouncing a “commercialization” of the human body. “The path to peace requires respect for life, for every human life, starting with that of the unborn child in the womb, which cannot be oppressed or made the object of commercialization,” Francis said as he greeted the diplomatic corps on September 17, 2019 Vatican.
“In this regard, I consider the practice of surrogacy to be regrettable as it seriously undermines the dignity of women and children,” he added. “I therefore hope that the international community will commit to banning this practice worldwide.” The Catholic Church opposes GPA, a medically assisted reproductive technique in which an embryo is implanted into the uterus of a surrogate mother who carries the baby at birth to a couple who asks for it. The Argentine Jesuit had already described surrogacy as an “inhumane practice” in June 2022.
In November 2023, the Vatican indicated that children of same-sex couples, whether adopted or born through surrogacy, could be baptized. Most European countries ban surrogacy. The use of surrogate mothers is sometimes permitted or tolerated as long as it is not paid (Belgium, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Canada, Brazil, Colombia). Commercial surrogacy, i.e. paid surrogacy, is permitted in certain American states.