The Danger & Immorality of Surrogacy

God has commanded ''Go forth, be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth'' in Genesis 1:28. Hence, creating new life, passing love forward, and growing future generations is a deep longing that we humans and all of His creation naturally desire towards. And not being able to bring this forth, due to infertility or other reasons, can be a deeply sorrowful pain to endure. 

But an important question needs to be addressed, which will make us understand the fundamental problem with surrogacy: Is having children a fundamental right, to achieve at any cost? 

Surrogacy appears, at first glance, to be a perfect solution. It even seems quite charitable, as surely many of the intentions are derived from that. One carries a baby for a couple struggling to conceive. But as in my previous articles about IVF and fetal research, the reality breaks this illusion and lies apart. It’s doing and bringing more harm than the opposite. Once again, even our good intentions cannot surpass the objective reality and morality. Who are we prioritizing? Who are we hurting in the process?

To get straight to the point: Surrogacy is exploitative. Both altruistic (the surrogate does not receive monetary compensation) and commercial surrogacy. How? And why is banning surrogacy what our societies should strive for? Hopefully, this article will answer these questions.

I pray that this blesses you and maybe someone in your life in any way, or someone who might cross paths with you, to bring into light this injustice and embrace life in such a way without harming our neighbours. 

The Process

Surrogacy has been practiced in ancient societies, such as allowing lawfully, a husband to divorce his wife lawfully because of her infertility. (1) Surrogacy today is done not just by infertile couples, but by those who don’t want to pass a genetic defect or health condition on to their child, by homosexual couples and single men and women who desire children. 

Surrogacy in the 1980s was primarily based on artificial insemination, but since the 2010s, IVF is done far more frequently. The surrogate’s baby undergoes prenatal genetic diagnosis (PGDs) early in the pregnancy. And if the baby is healthy, she carries it to term and delivers the baby. Already here, we see the moral problem of the baby’s value and right to live is measured according to the baby’s health. But moving forward, these seven stages usually occur throughout the surrogacy journey: 

1. Selection of the Surrogate Mother: Identifying and choosing a surrogate, followed by the signing of a legal contract.

2. Embryo production & preimplantation genetic diagnosis: Selection of Oocytes and Sperm: The eggs are often selected from a “catalogue” of women, and sperm is chosen either from a donor or the male client. IVF is performed to fertilize, and embryos are screened for genetic health and for other factors. In some cases, sex selection may occur.

3. Embryo transfer: The surrogate’s body for embryo implantation is prepared, which includes hormonal treatments and screenings. And embryo(s) are implanted into the surrogate’s womb.

4. Pregnancy confirmation: Verification of the surrogate’s pregnancy.

5. Pregnancy monitoring: Regular check-ups and keep the commissioning people informed.

6. Delivery and handover: The surrogate gives birth, and the child is handed over to the people who ‘’purchased’’ the baby. We are seeing how the child is treated as a product being purchased like an object...

7. Transfer of parentage. Parentage is officially transferred from the surrogate to the people who ''purchased'' the baby.

In the United States, surrogacy is deemed much more acceptable than in Europe, for example. Several European nations have banned surrogacy due to the abuse and exploitation, particularly of poor women hired as surrogates. The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union bans using one’s body for financial gain, banning paid surrogacy (but altruistic surrogacy is still legal in some European countries, unfortunately). But countries like India, have been battling against, especially, commercial surrogacy too. But altruistic surrogacy is far more accepted, so our societies have not understood the core moral problem of surrogacy itself, not just the commercial one.

The Exploitation/Horror of Surrogacy

Recently, a heartbreaking tragedy has unfolded in California, which, unfortunately, is not so rare. A gay couple let the baby boy die at 25 weeks, after Brittney Pearson delivered early because of her breast cancer diagnosis, in order to give the baby a chance to survive, while getting the chemo treatment. As Nash, a 21-week-old premature baby, was delivered over a year ago (Nash celebrated very recently his first birthday), who is the youngest baby delivered successfully, we know, today, with the progress of technology, a 25-week-old premature baby can survive with very high probability outside of the womb. 

The couple did not want to pay the surrogate for a baby not born before 38 weeks, because of the health risks associated with a premature baby. 

● Brittney did not want to kill the baby, so they threatened her with legal action.

● She offered the option of adoption, but they demanded a death certificate.

● She has stated that as a surrogate, she feels used, as a ''rented out uterus.'' 

Brittney Pearson said: ''I want to keep this baby safe and bring it earthside.'' But that was not guaranteed, because of the legal rights not given to the surrogate. This is one of the dangers, if not the most dangerous, of surrogacy. The gay couple had an 'ownership' right, which surpassed the human right of the baby and silenced Brittney. The very act of surrogacy from all parties played a role in this baby's death. Children are not products to be disregarded when they are not ‘good enough.’ But that is what surrogacy does. It rips away the fundamental right and dignity of the baby and even of motherhood itself.

Recently, it was uncovered by the likes of Tommy Kearns, that a baby was allowed to be parented by a gay couple through surrogacy. This already strips away the motherly role necessary for the baby, and as research shows, a child needs a mother and a father. Children do best when raised by their married mother and father. It is not just an opinion, but decades of social research. But coming back to the previous topic, one of the couple, Brandon Keith Riley Mitchell, was convicted in Pennsylvania for the sexual abuse of a minor and is publicly listed on the Megan’s Law registry as a Tier 1 child sex offender. But he was given the baby regardless.

Surrogacy Takes Advantage of Vulnerability

During the war in Ukraine, many have stayed close and care for the babies born to surrogates, many abandoned without parents. The war has prevented parents from returning to Ukraine, leaving their children with an uncertain future. Ukraine has had a growing international trade in surrogacy. The New York Times reports, “The country’s favorable laws — biological parents are listed on the baby’s birth certificate — and affordable prices, generally around $40,000, have attracted many aspiring parents.”

It is estimated to be one of the most popular destinations for surrogacy in the world, with more than a dozen agencies specializing in the practice. One agency alone arranges around 1,000 surrogate births each year. And the pandemic lockdowns closed international travel, which left many parents unable to reach the surrogate babies.

These precious babies do not only find themselves in an actual war zone, but another type of war zone, being stranded because of surrogacy.

Popular surrogacy destinations have thrived in areas where economic deprivation is strong. This also destroys the claim that financial gain is not a motivating factor, when it is clearly. In reality, when gestational commercial surrogacy first became possible, some feminists expressed their fears that it would lead to the creation of a ‘subclass of breeders’, women who would only be used as a means to an end, to bear children for other couples. And they were right.

Brian Clowes, director of research and training for Human Life International, said when he traveled to Bengaluru, India, several years ago, the Parliament was considering banning surrogacy because groups of women were being abused as “baby farms” for rich women, both in India and the West. India is a high-profile spot for surrogacy. Because of the immense exploitation of Indian women, especially the low-income women, India has banned surrogacy, but like some countries in Europe, kept altruistic surrogacy legal. Non-Indian couples also cannot seek surrogacy in India. New Delhi’s Center for Social Research stated, “Surrogacy degrades a pregnancy to a service and a baby to a product. Thailand and Cambodia are among other countries that took action towards the exploitation of commercial/international surrogacy.

Julie Bindel, a writer, exposes the hypocrisy of our Western culture with the acceptance of surrogacy:

''The accelerating boom in surrogacy for gay couples…represents a disturbing slide into the brutal exploitation of women who usually come from the developing world and are often bullied or pimped into selling their wombs to satisfy the selfish whims of wealthy gay or lesbian westerners…. This cruelty is accompanied by epic hypocrisy. People from Europe and the USA who would shudder at the idea of involvement in human or sex trafficking have ended up indulging in a grotesque form of “reproductive trafficking.”

Remember, surrogates who are exploited, sign contracts that they cannot read. They’re kept in dorms, isolated from family and friends. Forced to deliver by C-section. Some surrogates aren’t paid the full amount they were initially promised to receive. Women have died through surrogacy too.

But as Vice correspondent Gianna Toboni, in an interview with New York magazine, talking about the child trafficking happening in the surrogacy industry:

“There are cases where American couples feel a little strange about what is happening, and the ethics of it, but turn a blind eye because they don’t want to pay the higher rates in the States. Many couples don’t want to know what’s behind the scenes, they want their baby fast, and they want it done cheaply.”

And as the National Catholic Register describes in this article Toboni’s investigation on the matter:

''The Indian restaurant is crowded, and the ambient noise of fellow diners all around makes it hard to hear. But Gianna Toboni, an investigative reporter from HBO’s documentary show VICE, slowly begins to understand what is being offered to her by a woman sitting across the table.

Toboni is in India to get a firsthand look at the country’s booming international surrogacy industry. She has heard rumors of “extra” Caucasian babies for sale, so she meets a surrogacy broker for dinner. On camera, the broker, holding a swaddled infant, tells Toboni she can take the baby home tonight — for a price.

The source of these “extra” babies is beyond horrifying. Western couples are taking advantage of the discounts international surrogacy offers. They get a baby gestated for them at a low price, and the women in third-world countries get more money than they could make in several years.

To make the process more efficient, doctors often transfer more than one embryo to a surrogate. If she gets pregnant with multiples, sometimes the commissioning couple is not told. Nine months later, they fly in and get the one baby they paid for. The “extras,” however, are peddled on the black market. While the couple thinks they’re getting a miracle at a bargain price, they are unaware that their “extra” children are being sold to whoever is willing to pay.''

But similar cases happen in the West, too, unfortunately. In that same article, you will read heartbreaking stories, which bring forth the realities of this horror occurring all around the world, which are not brought into the light.

But if the surrogate has consented, what is the problem?

Firstly, when something done out of the consent of someone does not make it automatically a good moral decision, nor acceptable. If someone consents to be murdered, it does not take away the objective immorality of murder; hence, the restrictions and opposition towards murder still should apply, nevertheless even if the person ‘consented.’ An article from Catholic Answers evaluates this matter well:

“Sometimes people consent to things that are bad for them. But in such examples, consent is not what is driving the moral evaluation. What’s in the driver seat is a more fundamental underlying moral theory that says these actions are bad and thus need to be avoided. If there is a more fundamental framework that does the evaluative work, then it follows that consent by itself isn’t sufficient to justify some activity.”

We have to take the children's well-being as a priority as well. Studies have demonstrated the psychological effects on children conceived through surrogacy. It is quite clear as day that much harm comes from this. It is not a fairy tale-like magic that the world tries to sell you. Here are involved, not just the women, but also the children’s mistreatment. Let's not forget that. We must ensure that both the woman and the child in question are protected in their dignity. Surrogates are also found to have increasing psychological and emotional distress post-surrogacy. The children have shown to be in the same boat regarding their health as the surrogates, as this study here shows.

What Does The Catholic Church Say? What should be the Christian response?

The Catholic Church considers surrogacy to be immoral because, as the Catechism states, surrogacy dissociates husband and wife by the intrusion of a person other than the couple, infringing “a child’s right to be born of a father and mother known to him and bound to each other by marriage.” Of course, the usage of artificial insemination and IVF for surrogacy is, by the Church, also deemed as morally unacceptable.

Donum Vitae states, “A true and proper right to a child would be contrary to the child’s dignity and nature. The child is not an object to which one has a right, nor can he be considered as an object of ownership: rather, a child is a gift, ‘the supreme gift’ and the most gratuitous gift of marriage.” God designed the family in a way that serves the best interests of the child, not the opposite.

And the Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “Techniques that entail the dissociation of husband and wife, by the intrusion of a person other than the couple (donation of sperm or ovum, surrogate uterus), are gravely immoral” (2376).

The Church's stance is often viewed as non-compassionate towards couples desiring children, a family. However, as said in the previous articles, the methods cannot be unethical, even if the intentions are good. And as Christians, we contradict our faith and the love that Christ has shown us, if we accept immoral methods, such as surrogacy, IVF, fetal research, etc. Also, the Church does sympathize with the pain of infertility, stating: “Couples who discover that they are sterile suffer greatly,” and “Research aimed at reducing sterility is to be encouraged.”

The Church offers hope.

But often, women and couples desiring a child are unaware of the ethical option available, like NaPro (Natural Procreative) Technology, which is approved by the Catholic Church. Madeleine Kearns expresses this in this article, that many women, not knowing the root cause of their infertility, believe that IVF is the only option. Several fertility clinics tell women that IVF is the only option, not recommending NaPro at all.

Surrogacy rips away the rights of children, who are treated as objects of commercial contracts. As Joseph Meaney, past president of the National Catholic Bioethics Center, said:

“What surrogacy also does is it commercializes women’s reproductive capabilities. In a sense, their bodies are being rented out to be used by others to carry children. In some cases, the surrogate mother is the biological mother. In other cases, she will have an embryo transferred into her womb not related to her biologically. In both circumstances, it is extremely unnatural for her to be used in such a way, even with her consent. It goes against the dignity of a human being.”

Meaney also adds that there is a social-justice aspect to be said about surrogacy, because surrogate mothers tend to be from lower economic backgrounds and those ordering are on the elite scale. “So it’s the rich exploiting the poor, which from a Catholic perspective is blamable.” Meaney says.

And a 2015 poll indicated that 71% of Americans approve of surrogacy, with 57% approving of commercial surrogacy, and even those who consider religion "very important" showed a 48% approval rate for commercial surrogacy. Different Christian denominations vary in their moral view towards surrogacy. This is concerning, like with the seeming approval, even from the religious, towards IVF.

It is obvious that, especially as Christians, if we are faithful to the faith, we cannot deem surrogacy as a moral way or as a solution for families in difficulty with having a child, or simply to fulfill the desire to have a child. The dignity of every individual should never be compromised. I understand that superficially, it seems a kind act, but we must be careful, because we know that the enemy is great at deceiving.

As Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse, founder and president of The Ruth Institute, states:

“[Surrogacy] is a practice that turns the person from a person created in the image and likeness of God into a commodity,” says Dr. Morse. “Something that can be bought and sold and is property.

It’s very important for Christians to look beyond those [fancy] headlines and look beyond the advertising copy to realize that this is a business,” she continues, “and it’s being run like a business. Exploitation of women and the buying and selling of children is part of what this business is doing.” A child of any kind of third-party reproduction […] is a child of God and loved; you must never regret the child. […] But that child may end up having different kinds of issues that will be very difficult to discuss inside the family.”

Conclusion

I pray that each one of us will defend all lives and dignity, no matter what our surroundings say. I believe that we, even we Christians, must speak out more intensely, even in Churches, about the many ways the violation of God's gift, life, is abused. To educate our young and work towards it becoming the standard approach for a society when confronting these matters. Today, many women fight for the ''right'' to abortion (which ends the life of an innocent child) because of women's ''reproductive rights'', but are usually in favor of surrogacy. Interesting, isn't it? Modern feminism has not, in reality, protected girls (like the unborn baby girls in the womb), nor has it protected the dignity of actual reproductive rights (like the exploitation in surrogacy) of a woman (often from lower income situations), but has failed to live by what they preach. But that can change, but it starts when we choose so.

Being truly pro-life is not just about bringing life into the world, but also protecting the sanctity, the right, and value of life itself, in every stage. Pro-life's mission does not end with abortion, or when a baby is delivered, but also after. In supporting struggling families, single-parents, and children at risk, among all the other scenarios. Our stance is to uphold the dignity of that person until their very natural death. But even after that, for example, a dignified burial and respect to the deceased must be upheld as valuable, and if violated, fight back. Because that's how valuable their mere existence is and remains to be for eternity.

SOURCES

Need help? This is a resource (in the United States) that helps pregnant women in difficulty. You can contact them. There is always help and hope. https://letthemlive.org/our-mission/

https://unlawjournal.blogspot.com/2025/03/wombs-for-rent-dark-side-of-surrogacy.html

https://ewtn.co.uk/article-bizarre-surrogacy-case-pinpoints-moral-morass-of-the-baby-brokering-business/

https://ncfamily.org/the-danger-and-detachment-of-surrogacy/

https://aul.org/2023/05/16/the-surrogate-mother-and-the-child-she-bears/

https://www.ncregister.com/commentaries/surrogacy-s-incredibly-dark-side

https://notthebee.com/article/gay-men-order-surrogate-to-let-preemie-baby-die-after-she-delivered-early-due-to-cancer-diagnosis

https://studentsforlife.org/2022/04/06/caught-in-a-war-zone-commodified-children-are-stranded-because-of-surrogacy-in-ukraine/

https://www.hli.org/resources/surrogacy-ethical-issues/

(1) Nicholas Postgate. Early Mesopotamia Society and Economy at the Dawn of History, page 105.