Pope Francis’s Call for Global Ban on Surrogacy

Pope Francis, leader of Catholics, called for a ban on surrogacy worldwide during a speech.

“Surrogacy” or “surrogate motherhood” is a method in which a woman, as a surrogate mother, carries the child of a couple unable to have children in her own womb. The surrogate mother only has the role of nurturing the newborn, and after delivery, all parental rights of the child are transferred to the biological parents.

A surrogate mother typically receives compensation from the parents for the act of carrying their child. However, nowadays many women around the world, particularly in Iran, view this as a commercial transaction and, for various reasons including poverty, rent out their wombs to receive payment through this method.

In some cases, many unmarried women have also turned to this practice and view it as a job, which brings with it many concerns.

Pope Francis, leader of Catholics, has also reacted to surrogate motherhood. During a session at the Vatican attended by foreign ambassadors, following a speech on surrogacy, while noting that this method is a threat to peace and human dignity, he said: “Surrogate motherhood is a serious violation of the dignity of women and children, and I ask the international community to universally ban this practice.”

Pope Francis considers a child to be a divine gift that should not be subject to commerce.