Advocates of the surrogacy route of childbearing are criticizing Pope Francis for a recent statement he made. Last week, during an address that has since gone viral, the Pope called for a global ban on surrogacy.
According to the 87-year-old head of the papacy, surrogacy is in negation to the dignity of human life. Judging by the circumstances that surround some surrogate births, the Pope feels the practice should be banned to avoid the exploitation of women who are on the lower steps of the economic ladder.
However, many surrogacy advocates disagree with the religious leader and have voiced their displeasure that a person of influence like Pope Francis would make such utterances.
For example, Barbara Collura, president of RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, made some critical points. She said the Pope forgot to acknowledge well-meaning surrogate parents who could not build their families through conventional means.
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To quote the very words of the Pope during his ‘State of the World’ address, he 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’s speech addressed a list of things he felt may threaten world peace. Pope Francis suggests that these issues also need serious attention on a global scale. Interestingly, surrogacy made it onto the list. The speech was delivered in the presence of about 200 ambassadors from nations with diplomatic ties with the Vatican.
Like Collura, Judith Hoechst did not quite appreciate the Pope’s statement about surrogacy. Hoechst is a Catholic woman who also happens to be a surrogate mother. She is also a Denver-based attorney who represents people seeking assisted reproduction, like surrogacy.
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However, it is not all-knocks for the Pope, as there has also been some applause from other quarters. One such is Kallie Fell, the executive director of the Center for Bioethics and Culture Network, a non-profit in California. Fell and the Center have been advocating against the abuse of surrogacy for over 20 years and see the Pope’s suggestion as a welcome development.
Fell states that she supports the Pope’s suggestion, particularly because her Center has seen widespread instances of commoditizing of childbearing over the years. Interestingly, some countries have made the commercialization of surrogacy illegal like Louisiana, Nebraska, and Michigan in the US.
In reality, there are reports that some couples that are better off financially exploit the poverty of some virile women and compensate them for carrying their babies. It has become a full-blown business in some quarters.
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However, Collura feels no couple would readily decide that they would rather have their baby through surrogacy than carry the fetus themselves. Some people are infertile, victims of serial miscarriages, or simply unable to carry a baby to term.
Another category of people who heavily depend on surrogacy is the LGBTQ+ community. Same-sex couples, or those who have transitioned biologically, may see surrogacy as a recourse.
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