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The sovereign pontiff “considers this to be the practice.” [de la GPA] is regrettable” and does not want “the womb” to become “an object of commercialization”.
Published on August 1, 2024 12:34 p.m
Reading time: 1 min
Pope Francis during a mass in the Vatican for Epiphany, January 6, 2024. (RICCARDO DE LUCA / ANADOLU / AFP)
Pope Francis called on the international community to push for a ban on surrogacy (GPA) during his greeting to the diplomatic corps at the Vatican on Monday, January 8. “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 suppressed or become an object of commercialization,” he explained.
“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.”
A contradiction has already been expressed
The Catholic Church opposes GPA, a medically assisted reproductive situation in which an embryo is implanted into the uterus of a surrogate mother, who gives the baby at birth to an applicant couple.
As early as June 2022, Pope Francis described surrogacy as an “inhumane practice”. In November 2023, the Vatican declared 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.