In a powerful and timely intervention, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, Reem Alsalem, has formally called upon the international community to ban surrogacy in all its forms. Her report, set to be presented at the UN General Assembly in October, spotlights the practice’s inherent injustices, the exploitation of vulnerable women and the commodification of children.
Drawing on input from 120 global submissions, including contributions from UK women’s rights groups and consultations with surrogate mothers, Alsalem’s findings are chilling. The global surrogacy industry was valued at nearly $15 billion in 2023 and could swell to almost $100 billion by 2033. Yet surrogate mothers typically receive only a tiny fraction of the total fee; most funds flow to agencies or intermediaries. The report condemns surrogacy as “characterised by exploitation and violence against women and children,” reinforcing patriarchal norms by treating women’s bodies and unborn children as commodities.
Pro-life organisations in the UK already echo these concerns. SPUC emphasises that children deserve to be protected as unique individuals, not assembled on demand. SPUC campaigns tirelessly to preserve the natural bond between mother and child, a bond broken by arrangements that commodify birth.
Helen Gibson, founder of Surrogacy Concern, voiced unequivocal support for the UN’s recommendations: “We are delighted to see the United Nations commission this report and that the UN Special Rapporteur has demanded a global ban on surrogacy. Surrogacy is exploitative, unethical and cruel to the child who bonds with their mother in utero…” Gibson also warned of increased health risks, noting surrogate pregnancies carry higher rates of serious complications, including sepsis, pre-eclampsia, and postpartum haemorrhage.
SPUC calls upon the British government to heed this report, urging a ban on surrogacy both domestically and for UK citizens traveling abroad. Safeguarding women, children, and the dignity of motherhood must remain paramount.
This landmark UN report serves as a moral beacon, highlighting surrogacy not as compassionate altruism, but as a disturbing market-driven enterprise that endangers women, children, and the social fabric. For pro-life advocates, it reinforces the urgency of protecting the most vulnerable by reaffirming that human life is a gift, not a commodity.
