MEP Bert-Jan Ruissen welcomed the attendees and thanked them for participating in the discussion, underlining the importance of addressing surrogacy as a harmful practice that violates human rights and human dignity.

ECPP President Valeriu Ghilețchi emphasized the urgency of the topic: “Human dignity is at stake when we talk about surrogacy. As ECPP, we are firmly against all forms of surrogacy, as it reduces people to commodities.” He shared his experience from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), noting that initiatives calling for a ban on surrogacy were often hijacked and transformed into expressions of support for the practice by fellow politicians. Mr. Ghilețchi opened the dinner with a short devotion based on Psalm 139:14: “Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well.”

Ms. Alsalem began by highlighting that surrogacy and its effects on women and girls remain largely underexplored and insufficiently debated. “Surrogacy has gained momentum in the last five years and is being pushed with cheap and superficial arguments. However, there is no comprehensive human rights analysis of its impact, nor serious parliamentary or policy debates on the issue,” she stated. She explained that, as a Special Rapporteur, she deliberately chose to address topics that are normalized yet insufficiently scrutinized. Central to her report, she stressed, were the voices of victims. Accessing these testimonies proved difficult, however, as surrogate mothers are often contractually prohibited from speaking out, under threat of severe financial penalties. Many women involved in surrogacy are in vulnerable economic or social situations, leaving them fearful, legally insecure, and effectively silenced.

The UN Special Rapporteur called for a ban on all forms of surrogacy characterizing it as an exploitative practice that violates the rights and dignity of women and children by commodifying both the female body and the child. She emphasized that surrogate mothers surrender control over their pregnancies to commissioning parents or clinics, which may dictate key decisions at any stage of the pregnancy. In some systems, this includes the imposition of abortion decisions based on preference rather than medical necessity. “Mothers and children are very, very vulnerable,” Ms. Alsalem stated.

Ms. Alsalem further warned of the hidden and underground nature of the surrogacy industry. She described disturbing cases in which women are confined and forced into surrogacy arrangements under bondage or slavery-like conditions, particularly in cross-border contexts. The large financial interests of clinics and intermediaries, she noted, contribute to the lack of transparency and oversight. The Special Rapporteur also criticized the academic and medical literature frequently used to justify surrogacy, explaining that weak and methodologically flawed studies are repeatedly cited and recycled to downplay harms. When examined closely, much of this research does not withstand scrutiny, yet it continues to shape policy debates.

Children born through surrogacy are likewise exposed to risks. They are often separated from the woman who carried and gave birth to them immediately after birth, frequently without skin-to-skin contact, disrupting early bonding and potentially affecting their physical and emotional development. Ms. Alsalem pointed to research indicating poorer health outcomes for some children born through surrogacy. Moreover, testimonies from individuals born through surrogacy reveal experiences of identity confusion, emotional distress, and a persistent sense of dislocation, even when raised in legally stable families. The Special Rapporteur stressed that the best interests of the child are frequently subordinated to contractual obligations and consumer demand. Cross-border surrogacy arrangements further expose children to risks of trafficking, legal uncertainty, and weak protection of their rights.

The distinction between altruistic and commercial surrogacy is largely artificial, she said. Hidden forms of remuneration are common, and the number of women willing to act as surrogate mothers without payment is extremely small. Countries that legalize altruistic surrogacy, she warned, merely create the appearance of an ethical solution while exporting the problem abroad, as commissioning parents seek jurisdictions where supply exists. She called for greater international cooperation, cross-border dialogue, and the exploration of global legal instruments to address surrogacy as a systemic human rights issue.

Ms. Alsalem drew explicit parallels between surrogacy and systems of prostitution and trafficking, highlighting similar patterns of demand-driven exploitation, commodification, and involvement of criminal networks. Despite these profound human rights implications, surrogacy is not treated as a standing issue in international forums dealing with women’s rights, children’s rights, trafficking, or exploitation, nor is there sufficient data collection to capture the scale of the problem.