Pope Francis called for a global ban on surrogate motherhood on Monday.
“The path to peace calls for respect for life, for every human life, starting with the life of the unborn child in the mother’s womb, which cannot be suppressed or turned into an object of trafficking. In this regard, 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 pontiff said in prepared remarks.
He continued, “I express my hope for an effort by the international community to prohibit this practice universally. At every moment of its existence, human life must be preserved and defended; yet I note with regret, especially in the West, the continued spread of a culture of death, which in the name of a false compassion discards children, the elderly, and the sick.”
In 2022, the pope had previously denounced the practice of surrogacy, likening the practice to a “uterus for rent” and calling it “inhumane.” The religious leader shared his beliefs that surrogacy targeted and exploited women in poverty.
Surrogacy has been controversial in some countries, including Italy, where the practice is banned. Several parts of Europe consider surrogacy as a form of human trafficking.
British Italian journalist Andrea Carlo argued in an opinion piece that banning surrogacy is quietly eroding LGBT rights.
“As can be expected from a ‘God, homeland and family’ brand conservative, Meloni and her party have long been hostile to the advancement of LGBT equality in the realm of domestic life, ardently opposing same-sex parenthood,” Carlo wrote in June.
Surrogacy has become more popular among celebrities, including Fox News commentator Guy Benson, SpaceX founder Elon Musk, and social media influencers Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton.
Hilton said she would have loved the experience of pregnancy but opted to have a surrogate carry her child because her life was “so public.”
Musk recently had a son named Techno Mechanicus and a daughter named Y with former girlfriend and singer Grimes via surrogates. He also quietly had twins with one of his top executives, Shivon Zilis, via surrogate around the same time.
Other celebrities who have had babies via surrogate include Aquaman actress Amber Heard, who previously dated Musk.
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Kardashian opted for surrogacy for her last two children after experiencing placenta accreta with her first two children with Kanye West.
In addition to taking on surrogacy, the pope used his written address to bring attention to the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. He shared the humanitarian crises in Africa and called for an “increasingly urgent response” to the climate crisis.
