Pope Francis Called For A Universal Ban On “Despicable” Practice Of Surrogacy

Pope Francis wants to end the practice of surrogacy around the world. On Monday, the pope referred to the practice of a woman carrying a fetus to term on behalf of another person “deplorable,” a term that will likely upset people who have benefitted from surrogacy in the past. Particularly those in the LGBTQ+ community.

“I consider despicable 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,” Pope Francis said in a foreign policy address on Monday, per CBC News.

He went on to protest what he referred to as the “commercialization” of pregnancy, and added that he is calling for a universal ban of the practice. “Consequently, I express my hope for an effort by the international community to prohibit this practice universally,” Pope Francis said.

The 87-year-old pontiff also noted the he believes a child is “never the basis of a commercial contract,” an opinion he has shared in the past as well. This is not the first time Pope Francis has spoken out against surrogacy, sharing in 2022 that he condemned the “inhumane and increasingly widespread practice” of hiring a woman to carry a baby. Or as he referred to it at the time, a “uterus for rent.”

Pope Francis’ concerns about the possibility that low-income mothers are being exploited and “treated as commodities” is certainly admirable, particularly in parts of the world where surrogates are not offered protection and safeguards as they are in the United States. He does not, however, address the very real issues that same-sex couples might face when looking at options to welcome a baby together. The Vatican did acknowledge in 2022 that same-sex couples who hire a surrogate to carry their child can still have that baby baptized in the Catholic church, however.

Pope Francis also recently made headlines when he approved same-sex marriages to be blessed by Catholic priests without, as he put it at the time, “an exhaustive moral analysis,” a true first in the historically restrictive church. Generally speaking, Pope Francis has been much more moderate than other popes in the past, counseling parents to support their gay children and reminding them to “never condemn” them. He has, on the other hand, condemned people for choosing pets over children. So it’s a bit of a mixed bag of tricks.