The UN General Assembly issues a call for surrogacy to be outlawed

 A growing number of families are formed by gestational surrogacy, in which a woman bears a child for another couple.  Surrogacy is legal throughout the US, and regulated state by state.

United Nations General Assembly has issued a report saying that surrogacy in all its forms should be regarded as a crime against women, and banned outright.

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 

Summary: In the present report, the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and  girls, its causes and consequences, Reem Alsalem, examines the different manifestations of violence against women and girls in the context of surrogacy.

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Conclusion and recommendations :

69. The practice of surrogacy is characterized by exploitation and violence against women and children, including girls. It reinforces patriarchal norms by commodifying and objectifying women’s bodies and exposing surrogate mothers and children to serious human rights violations. 

70. Considering the above, the Special Rapporteur recommends that Member States and other relevant stakeholders: 

(a) At the international level, take steps towards eradicating surrogacy in all its forms. Pending its abolition, States must take action to prevent further  harm and strengthen the protection of the rights of women and children involved in surrogacy arrangements;

(b) Work towards adopting an international legally binding instrument prohibiting all forms of  surrogacy..." 

 

HT: Kim Krawiec