“No” to surrogate motherhood

“Surrogate motherhood is a violation of the human rights of women who become “surrogate mothers”, and at the same time “it infringes the rights of children born and conceived in this way, reduced to a certain extent to a commodity that can be accepted or rejected by clients”, said MEP Anna Zaborska. The Forum for Life has recently promoted a meeting in Bratislava to raise media awareness on this theme. Surrogate motherhood has become one of the most debated issues in Slovakia over the past months in matters regarding human dignity, forcing the subcommittee on Bioethics to take a clear stand. It is a much-anticipated official statement, especially since surrogate motherhood is often presented by the media in a positive light. False altruism. Surrogate motherhood is presented to the public by the media as a form of “medical assistance” to couples or unmarried women who want to have a child but are unable to conceive one of their own, neither in a natural way nor through in vitro fertilization. It was also proposed to legalize this procedure in Slovakia. Owing to manipulation and false information, the idea is often supported also by Catholics who believe that surrogate motherhood is no more no less than “an act of love and help that does not entail physical or psychological harm”. That’s why the subcommittee of the Bishops’ Conference of Slovakia, chaired by Greek-Catholic bishop Milan Lach, has decided to publish a statement on the ethical aspects of surrogate motherhood. According to Msgr. Lach this procedure is ” a serious abuse of medicine, biomedical research and law. From the moral angle it’s a deceit, a violation of the integrity and rights of all those participating in the process of surrogate motherhood: ‘social’ parents, the surrogate mother and the child. At the same time, the procedure corrupts and produces serious moral damage to doctors, health workers and other people directly involved”. The prelate highlighted an aspect on which the issue has a very strong impact: “Each form of support to surrogate motherhood poses a threat to the foundations of the social structure of each society, with potentially serious consequences at moral, social and legal level. It’s an irresponsible attack, motivated by commercial reasons, against sound family, marriage and parenthood”. The statement by the subcommittee on Bioethics draws inspiration from the instruction “Donum vitae”, published in 1987 by the Congregation on the Doctrine for Faith. “This document has a very topical bearing, as it clearly states that alongside with assisted fertilization surrogate motherhood clearly contradicts spousal unity and the dignity of procreation alike”, Lach said. A question of common sense. Despite the relevant number of logical explanations that highlight the negative aspects of surrogate motherhood from various angles, the moral aspect appears to be crucial not only for believers but for all people that make use of common sense. “In the media there are cases that are almost incredible. Parents that suddenly decide they no longer want their child born through surrogate motherhood because that child is disabled or simply because he/she does not correspond to their expectations. They simply change their minds. They had their “child-on-demand”, viewed as a commodity they no longer want, because it does not satisfy ‘quality standards.’ This absurd situation thus escalates into a cruel reality”, said Jozef Glasa, Medicine Professor, member of the Episcopal subcommittee. Glasa added that surrogate motherhood is a profitable, alluring business, distant from true altruism, which implies the danger of modern slavery. “Slovakia is a small Country, it could reveal itself as wise and cautious, and it may handle this problem in the right manner. Let us hope that the declaration of our subcommittee will contribute in this direction”, concluded Professor Glasa. A pan-European solution. Anna Zaborska, MEP, with a long experience as paediatrician before being involved in the political realm at national and international level, pointed out that the legalization of surrogate motherhood creates the conditions for human trafficking. “Human organs trafficking is outlawed in all civil societies. It would pose a threat to poor people. ‘Organs on rent’, such as the uterus, should be banned for the same reason”, said the MEP, underlining that surrogate motherhood is not a question pertaining to the responsibilities of EU member states’ healthcare systems, but rather it is an issue that violates human rights. For Zaborska, “the European Parliament should take a stand in this sense and ask for a pan-European solution”.