Experts convene at European Parliament to address harms of surrogacy, following EU resolution condemning practice

  • International momentum against surrogacy grows, as European Parliament and UN condemn practice
  • Experts today in European Parliament, including UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls, Reem Alsalem and ADF International’s Carmen Correas, highlighted harms of surrogacy for women and children

Brussels (19 November 2025) – Today, experts convened at the European Parliament to highlight human rights concerns surrounding surrogacy, with the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls featured as a speaker.

Speakers at the event, hosted by the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) Party, included the UN Special Rapporteur Reem Alsalem, Advocacy Officer at ADF International Carmen Correas, a former EU Commissioner, an Italian government minister and representatives of civil society organisations.

The event, entitled “Surrogacy: An Ethical and Political Challenge for Europe”, follows a recent EU resolution condemning surrogacy and comes on the heels of a landmark United Nations report by Ms Alsalem, calling for the global abolition of the practice.

Ms Correas said: “Surrogacy treats women and children as commodities. The European Union has taken an important step in acknowledging its inherent harms. We urge policymakers to move swiftly toward a clear, coordinated legal prohibition that protects the dignity and rights of all involved.”

Italian ECR Member of the European Parliament Paolo Inselvini, a speaker at today’s event, said: “Today it became clear that a determined European front exists, committed to stopping reproductive exploitation across the globe. We will therefore continue to fight so that Europe abandons all ambiguity and assumes a clear responsibility: surrogacy must be a universal crime.”

EU resolution on surrogacy

On 13 November, the EU passed a resolution stating that the EU: “Condemns the practice of surrogacy, which involves the reproductive exploitation and use of women’s bodies for financial or other gain, in particular in the case of especially vulnerable women in third countries; calls on the Commission to take measures to support ending this phenomenon.”

Landmark UN report

The European Parliament event follows a major development at the United Nations last month. In her report to the UN General Assembly, Ms Alsalem called for a legally binding international instrument that would lead to the abolition of all forms of surrogacy, emphasising that the practice is “characterized by exploitation and violence against women and children”.

The UN expert highlights that surrogacy:

  • intentionally separates children from their mothers,
  • commodifies women’s reproductive capacities,
  • prioritises adult desires over the rights of the child, and
  • exposes women to heightened physical, psychological, and financial risks.

The surrogacy industry is rapidly expanding—valued at $14.4 billion in 2023 and projected to reach $96.6 billion by 2033—while surrogate mothers bear the vast majority of the risks and receive only a fraction of the profits.

Widespread civil society support for banning surrogacy

ADF International joined over 180 NGOs in endorsing a civil society letter supporting the Special Rapporteur’s recommendations and has consistently advocated for national and international legal protections that safeguard women and children from exploitation.

“States must act decisively to end the grave human rights violations inherent in surrogacy. A coordinated international response—including a UN treaty—is urgently needed,” said Giorgio Mazzoli, Director of UN Advocacy at ADF International, responding to the UN report earlier this month.

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Experts to convene at European Parliament to warn about EU online censorship law, following US State Department expressing concern

  • First-of-its-kind, cross-party event, co-hosted by politicians and ADF International, to examine threats to free speech posed by Digital Services Act (DSA)
  • Event, also featuring journalist and best-selling author Rod Dreher, to take place on morning of Wednesday, May 21
  • Pressure on DSA builds, following US State Department expressing concern over censorial impact of the law

BRUSSELS (19 May 2025) – Experts will convene at the European Parliament this Wednesday morning to warn about the threats of an EU online censorship law, in a first-of-its-kind, cross-party event.

The event, which is co-hosted by ADF International, is entitled “The Digital Services Act and Threats to Freedom of Expression”.

It follows the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, & Labour, a bureau within the US State Department, expressing concern about the censorial impact of the Digital Services Act (DSA).

The DSA is an EU regulation that requires online platforms, including US tech companies such as X and Meta, to remove “illegal content”, or risk facing massive financial penalties.

There are concerns it could introduce a “lowest common denominator” of censorship, as the most egregious anti-speech laws in any individual EU country could be applied across the region under the act.

Croatian Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Stephen Bartulica, who will speak at the event, said: “Pressure against the Digital Services Act is quickly building both inside and outside the European Parliament.

“Concern from the United States, including from their State Department and Congress, over the censorial impact of the DSA should not be ignored by the Commission—the US is a vital ally of Europe.

“This event will be a crucial part of continuing to build pressure on the DSA. Online censorship in Europe must be rejected. I believe in free speech, not regulated speech.”

Paul Coleman, Executive Director of ADF International, and an international human rights lawyer specialising in free speech, who will also speak at the event, said: “The DSA is one of the most serious threats to online free speech in the digital age.

“The move towards censorship in Europe through this framework is deeply concerning and must be challenged.

“We cannot accept a transatlantic divide on free speech, where the US recommits to the protection of this fundamental freedom, while Europe tramples on it. Freedom of expression must be protected and upheld across the globe.”

Another speaker at the event, French MEP Virginie Joron, said: “The DSA has become a tool that elites want to use to control the internet, in a desperate attempt to censor narratives that go against their narrative.

“This truth is becoming increasingly clear to the world. The new DSA regulation must not become a political tool.

“This event comes at an important moment and is a crucial step in the fight against the misapplication of this regulation.”

This week’s conference is being hosted by European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) MEP Mr Bartulica, PfE MEP Ms Joron and ADF International, a Christian legal organisation, with expertise in international law, that defends free speech.

Pressure builds against Digital Services Act

The gathering of free speech experts will add to steadily building pressure on the DSA, following a letter reportedly sent to the European Commission last week by the US House Judiciary Committee, expressing concern over the legislation.

Henna Virkkunen, the Commission’s Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, also met with Congressman Jim Jordan, Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, in Washington DC last week.

In a post on X, she said: “Candid exchange with @Jim_Jordan [Chairman Jordan].”

She went on to claim in the post: “Freedom of speech is a fundamental right in the EU and is strongly protected by our digital rules. Happy to continue our good discussion.”

Earlier this month, the US Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor expressed concern over the censorial impact of the DSA.

The State Department bureau posted on X: “The Department of State is deeply concerned about efforts by governments to coerce American tech companies into targeting individuals for censorship. Freedom of expression must be protected – online and offline.

“Examples of this conduct are troublingly numerous. EU Commissioner Thierry Breton threatened X for hosting political speech.”

The post continued: “Türkiye fined Meta for refusing to restrict content about protests; and Australia required X to remove a post criticizing an individual for promoting gender ideology.

“Even when content may be objectionable, censorship undermines democracy, suppresses political opponents, and degrades public safety. The United States opposes efforts to undermine freedom of expression. As @SecRubio [Marco Rubio] said, our diplomacy will continue to place an emphasis on promoting fundamental freedoms.”

This Wednesday’s conference is the first of its kind in the European Parliament to focus on the threats to free speech posed by the DSA, offer concrete answers on how to oppose them, and discuss the fundamental importance of freedom of expression for societal flourishing, in that context.

Rod Dreher, an American journalist and bestselling author, will also speak at the event. His books include ‘The Benedict Option’, ‘Live Not By Lies’ and, most recently, ‘Living in Wonder’. He is also a Visiting Fellow at the Danube Institute think tank.

Email [email protected] to secure your place at this groundbreaking event.

The Digital Services Act

EU politicians have stated their desire for the DSA to “address’ so-called “mis” and “disinformation” online—vague and subjective terms, which experts have warned can be used to justify censorship.

The regulation would provide an incentive to and put pressure on tech companies, including American ones, to censor speech, rather than risk massive financial penalties for non-compliance.

There are additional concerns in the US about the DSA potentially having an extraterritorial impact and being used to censor speech inside America.

An attempt at using the regulation to censor speech in the US was seen last summer, when former Commissioner Thierry Breton warned Elon Musk to not breach the DSA ahead of his X interview with then-Presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Find more information on the DSA here.

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