By Akinsuroju Olubunmi
Pope Francis calls for global ban on surrogacy, deeming it “Deplorable”
In his New Year’s address to diplomats at the Vatican, Pope Francis urged for a worldwide prohibition on surrogacy, denouncing the practice as “deplorable.” The 87-year-old pontiff expressed his concern over the act of a woman carrying a child for another woman, emphasizing that it constitutes a “grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child.”
During a speech predominantly focused on advocating an end to global conflicts, Pope Francis highlighted the importance of respecting life, beginning with the unborn child in the mother’s womb. He condemned surrogacy, labeling it as an exploitation of the mother’s material needs and emphasizing that a child should never be treated as the basis of a commercial contract.
Pope Francis stated, “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.” This call for a global ban echoes his previous condemnation of surrogacy in June 2022 as an “inhuman” practice.