Pope Francis, in his New Year’s address to diplomats at the Vatican on Monday, advocated for a worldwide prohibition on surrogacy, condemning the practice of a woman carrying another individual’s child as “deplorable.”
During a speech primarily focused on urging an end to global conflicts, the 87-year-old leader of the Catholic Church emphasized the importance of respecting life in the pursuit of peace. Pope Francis stated, “The path to peace calls for respect for life,” beginning with the unborn child’s life in the mother’s womb, which he emphasized cannot be treated as an object of trafficking.
Expressing strong disapproval, the Pope criticized the practice of surrogate motherhood, labeling it a “grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child.” He specifically condemned the exploitation of mothers’ material needs in this context, asserting that a child should always be considered a gift and not the subject of a commercial contract. Pope Francis concluded by expressing his hope for international efforts to universally prohibit this practice.
This is not the first time the Pope has spoken out against surrogacy; in June 2022, he characterized it as an “inhuman” practice. While “altruistic” surrogacy, involving a woman giving birth without financial gain, is legal in several countries, commercial surrogacy is permitted in some US states.