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Pope calls for universal ban on surrogacy in global roundup of threats to peace and human dignity (apnews.com)

submitted 10 months ago by MicroWave to c/world

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Pope Francis called Monday for a universal ban on the “despicable” practice of surrogate motherhood, as he included the “commercialization” of pregnancy in an annual speech listing threats to global peace and human dignity.

In a foreign policy address to ambassadors accredited to the Holy See, Francis lamented that 2024 had dawned at a time in history in which peace is “increasingly threatened, weakened and in some part lost.”

Citing Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Israel-Hamas war, migration, climate crises and the “immoral” production of nuclear and conventional weapons, Francis delivered a lengthy laundry list of the ills afflicting humanity and the increasing violation of international humanitarian law that allows them.

But Francis also listed smaller-scale issues that he said were threats to peace and human dignity, including surrogacy. Francis said the life of the unborn child must be protected and not “suppressed or turned into an object of trafficking.”

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[–] scarabic 84 points 10 months ago (2 children)

“Commercializing pregnancy”

Yeah, allowing my friend living with lupus to have a healthy biological child. They treated the surrogate as a member of the family, even long after the birth. Fuck you, pope.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Why didn't they just adopt? There's 100k+ children waiting to be adopted right now in the US. Why go through all the trouble and effort of surrogacy just to have a biological child? Seems weird to me.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Because adoption isn't as easy as it sounds. A couple friends of ours started the process 5 or 6 years ago and weren't having any luck (even after spending tens of thousands of dollars on the process) and weren't having success so they asked someone we know to be a surrogate for them in 2019 and had their son in 2020. It wasn't until literally two weeks ago that they finally got placed with their adopted child from several states away from a young pregnant woman who didn't want to keep the baby. The adoption process costed them significantly more than the surrogacy. They could afford it because one is a physician but this highlights how difficult it is unless you want to adopt an older child who most likely has behavioral issues after being forcefully removed from a bad situation.

[+] [email protected] -6 points 10 months ago (2 children)

It sounds like your buddies specifically wanted a newborn which led to the difficulty. Why? A three, four, or five year old doesn't meet their standards?

[–] mostNONheinous 7 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Why do you get to put your standards on them?

[–] [email protected] 0 points 10 months ago

There's 8 billion people in the world and most of them are suffering. Choosing to bring another person into this world for pure vanity is one of the most selfish acts a person can do, as it means that another child will go unloved.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago

I addressed that at the end of my comment. They were fostering (with plans to adopt) a child around that age for a while who still received visits from her mom. The mother, who had her custody removed by the state, persuaded the girl to make false accusations against our friends in order to torpedo the adoption process.

[–] Mamertine 10 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Most of those 100k kids waiting to be adopted are older kids. A lot of people want to start with an infant. Not everyone is equipped to adopt a teenager who has been in foster care for years. Then there are people who want bio kids.

[–] [email protected] -4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Source? My buddy adopted last year and had no problem finding an infant for adoption.

[–] diffcalculus 8 points 10 months ago

Your one friend != all experiences.

The average age of a child in foster care is more than 8 years old, and there are slightly more boys than girls.

Source: https://www.adoptuskids.org/meet-the-children/children-in-foster-care/about-the-children#:~:text=They%20range%20in%20age%20from,by%20their%20parents%20or%20guardians.

They got their source from: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/research-data-technology/statistics-research/afcars

[+] [email protected] -25 points 10 months ago (1 children)

The entire concept of surrogacy started exactly as a means for wealthy couples to have children without the need for the woman to "ruin" her body with a pregnancy.

The example you cite is, at best, an exception not the norm.

There is no shame in adopting or never having children, both of which are better options than to subject another human being to carry a child they will not raise or keep contact.

[–] scarabic 20 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Oh so your examples are how it “started” and mine are “exceptions” therefore you win. Whatever.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Are you two substantially disagreeing?

When surrogacy is merely a luxury to spare the rich mother the discomforts of bearing a child, it can be bad, and for other reasons such as health and infertility it’s totally fine?

[–] scarabic 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Yeah I’m disagreeing that it can “be bad.”

This is a reproductive technology. I’m not going to sit here and judge women for how they use it. I’ve witnessed pregnancies all the way through and I’M. NOT. JUDGING. PERIOD.

You know what it’s like? To sit here and fie upon slovenly rich bitches who use this reproductive technology for their own comfort because they’re lazy and immoral? It’s about a hair’s breadth away from the way people demonize women who avail themselves of abortions for being “sluts who don’t want to deal with the consequences of their actions.”

I won’t go anywhere near that shit.

As far as I can see, I’m the only one here who knows anyone who’s used surrogacy, and it was for a legit health reason. I have ZERO patience to listen to anyone’s internet armchair judgery, while they even remotely entertain the idea that we should take this reproductive technology away because of how we think people are using it.

Nope. Nope to the nope. Fuck ALL of that.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

There are legitimate worries concerning the commodification of people’s bodies. We already do not allow people to sell oneself into slavery, and many countries do not allow the selling of one’s own body parts (which is why organs must be donated in many countries).

I’m the only one here who knows anyone who’s used surrogacy, and it was for a legit health reason.

I’m not sure why you think it matters, but my sibling recently had a child through surrogacy. No one is disagreeing about the health case. But more exploitative cases can exist. Not everything should be made into a product.