Surrogacy and Slavery

In other countries, doing such a thing is considered monstrous.  Italy, a fairly conservative country, has outlawed the practice, but so has the leftwing government of Spain and the communist government of China.

Now, as reported in the Federalist, the UN has issued a statement equating surrogacy with slavery and urging all member nations to outlaw the practice.

Here are some excerpts from the Report of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences:  The different manifestations of violence against women and girls in the context of surrogacy (my bolds):

–“Unlike other forms of labour, surrogacy entails the direct and exploitative use of a woman’s bodily and reproductive functions for the benefit of others, often resulting in long-lasting harm and in exploitative circumstances.”

–“In international arrangements, surrogate mothers are typically nationals of low-income or developing countries, while commissioning parents tend to be wealthier individuals from Western States – a dynamic that risks reinforcing colonial and discriminatory patterns.”

–“In many contracts, surrogate mothers are required to waive, in advance, their right to make their own medical decisions, or to waive the confidentiality of information obtained by doctors during treatments. Other examples of harmful practices reportedly justified using a contract include the implantation of the maximum number of embryos to increase the chances of successful birth, recourse to selective abortion, constant monitoring by the intended parents, including through uninterrupted camera surveillance, and restrictions on freedom of movement.”

–“Women experience psychological pressure amounting to violence in order to serve as surrogates. They are often pressured into surrogacy by its presentation as an exercise in demonstrating the values of “love” and “solidarity” – particularly in relation to homosexual couples.”

–“No regulatory framework can fully prevent the serious psychological harm that may result from the separation process [of mother and child].

–“Power imbalances between surrogate mothers and commissioning parents have severe consequences when the latter impose an abortion in cases of multiple pregnancies or fetal disability.”

–“Surrogacy arrangements can amount to or resemble slavery, as they place surrogate mothers in a position in which any or all of the attributes of the right of ownership are exercised over them. The commissioning parties exercise this right of usus over the woman’s body by requiring her to follow a specific diet, refusing her medical treatment or obliging her to undergo “embryo reduction” or abortion.”

–“Commercial surrogacy, which accounts for the overwhelming majority of surrogacy cases globally, constitutes the sale of children, which is a crime.”

—“Consent alone does not render surrogacy ethical. It is widely recognized that consent alone cannot justify human rights violations, including those associated with human trafficking, the sale of organs, slavery or torture.”

Report goes on to recommend that member nations adopt laws and enter into international agreements banning surrogacy in all its forms as a human rights issue.  Surrogate mothers should not be penalized, since they are the victims; rather, measures should penalize buyers, clinics, and agencies.

Furthermore, member nations should “Adopt legislation recognizing the birth mother of a child born through surrogacy as the legal mother.”

Illustration:  Surrogate Child Trading, Image by pngtree.com, free license, by Surrogacy PNG Designed By from https://pngtree.com/freepng/surrogate-child-trading_6759697.html?sol=downref&id=bef