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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UN Expert Calls to Globally Prohibit Surrogacy in Landmark Report

  • Ahead of her report presentation to the UN General Assembly, UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls, Reem Alsalem, condemns surrogacy at high-level UN event, stating the practice commodifies women and children. 
  • ADF International co-presents at event hosted by Italian government; applauds the call to prohibit the practice globally. 

NEW YORK CITY (8 October 2025) – Today, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls, Reem Alsalem, formally spoke out against the practice of surrogacy at a UN General Assembly event. She stated, “[Surrogacy] is clearly responsible for inflicting large-scale violence, abuse, and exploitation on women and children.” Alsalem is set to present her latest report on Oct. 10 before the UN General Assembly. In it, she calls for a global prohibition on all forms of surrogacy, warning that the practice is “characterized by exploitation and violence against women and children, including girls.”  

The report calls on States to adopt a legally binding international instrument prohibiting all forms of surrogacy and urges immediate action to criminalize the commissioning of children and its facilitation by surrogacy agencies and clinics, ban its advertisement, protect women already engaged in surrogacy arrangements through legal support and psychosocial services, and ensure that children’s rights to identity, care, and protection are upheld. 

“[Surrogacy] is clearly responsible for inflicting large-scale violence, abuse, and exploitation on women and children.”

- Reem Alsalem, UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls

Hosted by the Government of Italy, the event comes amid growing international momentum to prohibit surrogacy. In 2024, Italy became the first country to prohibit surrogacy both within and outside its borders. Last month, Slovakia adopted a constitutional amendment prohibiting the practice.  

“Surrogacy should not be prohibited only domestically, but it should also be addressed internationally,” said Eugenia Rocella, Italian Minister for Family, Natality, and Equal Opportunities. “The Italian Government is convinced that… existing international treaties on the protection of women and children’s rights should be updated to explicitly include surrogacy as a practice of undermining dignity and entailing exploitation.” 

The report details how surrogacy intentionally separates children from their mothers, severing natural maternal bonds and undermining their rights to identity, care, and protection from violence. It also emphasizes that even “altruistic” surrogacy arrangements harm both women and children by treating human life as a product. 

“An inherent concern in surrogacy lies in the contractual programming of separation between a woman and the child that she carries, which risks treating the child as a passive object of an agreement between adults or as a commodity,” the report states. ADF International, who participated in welcomes the report as a landmark moment for the global movement to end surrogacy. At the event ahead of the presentation, the legal organization highlighted the need for immediate action from states to prohibit surrogacy. 

“Surrogacy rests on a system of violence that dehumanizes women and children alike. States need to develop a coordinated international response to end the grave human rights violations inherent in this practice,” said Giorgio Mazzoli, Director of UN Advocacy at ADF International. “We commend the Special Rapporteur for exposing the harms of this exploitative industry and urge governments around the world to united in ending surrogacy in all its forms at all levels, including through the adoption of a UN treaty ending the practice globally.” 

The organization was among the promoters of a civil society letter in support of the Special Rapporteur’s report, signed by over 180 NGOs, further emphasizing the call on States to globally prohibit surrogacy.  

Background

The UN expert report describes the global surrogacy industry as a rapidly growing market, valued at $14.4 billion in 2023 and projected to reach $96.6 billion by 2033. Despite its lucrative nature, the overwhelming majority of profits go to agencies and brokers, while surrogate mothers bear the brunt of serious physical, emotional, and financial risks. 

Women undergoing surrogacy face increased rates of pregnancy complications, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Many are subjected to coercion, exploitation, and invasive medical procedures, and even “altruistic” arrangements often involve separating children from their mothers, commodifying women’s reproductive capacities, and prioritizing the desires of adults over the rights of the child. 

ADF International remains committed to protecting the dignity of human life and safeguarding women and children from exploitation. The organization advocates for legal protections to end surrogacy and prevent the commodification of human life. 

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