Pope Francis Considers the Practice of Surrogacy Deplorable, a Serious Violation of the Dignity of Women and Children

JAKARTA - Pope Francis called for a universal ban on surrogacy, calling the practice "deplorable" in his speech at the Vatican on Monday.

"I find deplorable the practice of so-called surrogate motherhood, which is a grave violation of the dignity of women and children, based on the exploitation of the situation of the mother's material needs," said the Pope, as reported by CNN, January 9.

"A child is always a gift and never the basis of a commercial contract," continued the Pope.

The Pope further said that he hopes the international community will make efforts to "ban this practice universally."

"In every existence, human life must be preserved and defended," explained the Pope.

In 2022, Pope Francis said that surrogacy is "an inhumane and increasingly widespread practice of 'rented wombs', in which women, almost always poor women, are exploited and children are treated as commodities."

It is known that the Catholic Church has long opposed the practice of surrogacy and in vitro fertilization because it degrades conception and throws away some embryos, which they say is equivalent to abortion.

Surrogacy is illegal in Italy and a number of countries. Meanwhile, in other countries, such as the UK, surrogacy is legal but limited, but commercial surrogacy is prohibited.

Meanwhile, in the United States, surrogacy laws vary by state.

The pope himself has faced resistance from more traditionalist circles of the church for some of his approaches to contemporary issues, including openness to giving communion to divorced and remarried Catholics, his pastoral welcome to LGBTQ people, and his focus on migrants and the climate crisis.

Last month, Pope Francis officially allowed Roman Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples, a significant shift in the church's approach to LGBTQ+ people.

The blessing can be performed as long as it is not part of the ritual or liturgy of the Church, or at the same time as a civil union, according to a Vatican document approved by the Pope.

However, he took a firm stance against abortion, which he likened to hiring a “hit man to solve a problem,” and surrogacy.