Surrogacy

With the turn of the year and the end of the Jubilee of Hope, it is important to remember the progress made in the defense of human dignity and, in particular, in the cause of the universal abolition of the surrogacy market. 

First of all, it is worth remembering our beloved Pope Francis, who passed away in 2025, and who made an important “call for the international community to commit itself to a universal ban on this practice”and proclaimed a Jubilee Year of Hope, which constitutes an impulse in the defense of human dignity.

His prophetic call has been heard, as the year 2025 was marked by milestones in the cause of universal abolition: 

In June, the Third Casablanca Conference for the Universal Abolition of Surrogacy took place in Lima, Peru, focusing on the protection of Latin American women, with the participation of international experts.

In July, Reem Alsalem, UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, released a landmark report declaring that all forms of surrogacy constitute violence against women and recommending the development of an international treaty to abolish this market. 

In September, Slovakia became the first country to ban the practice in its constitution. 

In November, the European Parliament, in its resolution on the Gender Equality Strategy, explicitly condemned surrogacy.

These important developments are hopeful signs that there is already a long way to go in the compelling cause of abolishing the surrogacy market.