In a speech from the Vatican on Monday, Pope Francis called for a worldwide ban on surrogacy, calling the practice “deplorable.”
“I deem deplorable the practice of so-called surrogate motherhood, which represents a grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child, based on the exploitation of situations of the mother’s material needs,” the Pope told ambassadors of the 184 counties that have diplomatic ties with the Vatican.
“A child is always a gift and never the basis of a commercial contract.”
As reported by CNN, the Pope also hopes that the international community will attempt to “prohibit this practice universally.”
“At every moment of its existence, human life must be preserved and defended,” he added.
People who have struggled to conceive, as well as same-sex couples, have used surrogacy as a means to have children, CBS News reports.
The Catholic Church has held long-standing opposition to surrogacy as well as in vitro fertilization because it depersonalizes conception and disposes of some embryos, which the church equates to abortion.
In Italy and several other countries, surrogacy is illegal. The practice is legal but restricted in the United Kingdom, while commercial surrogacy is illegal. Meanwhile, surrogacy laws in the United States differ from state to state.
In 2022, Francis argued that surrogacy was “inhuman,” saying, “women, almost all poor, are exploited, and children are treated like goods.”
In addition to surrogacy, Francis also addressed other issues taking place across the world, including the ongoing wars in the Gaza Strip and Ukraine, the immigration crisis, climate change, arms proliferation, antisemitism, the persecution of Christians, and artificial intelligence, as well as topics.
Regarding the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, the Pope said that both wars were an example of civilian populations being indiscriminately affected due to the surrounding conflicts.
“We must not forget that grave violations of international humanitarian law are war crimes,” he said.
Photo Courtesy: ©RNS/AP Photo/Andrew Medichini
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for Christian Headlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
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