EU Parliament: surrogacy. Mr Reynders, “law of national competence, but make sure rights of some children are not denied”

(Strasbourg) The debate on surrogacy in the chamber left the European Parliament polarised. Those in favour and those against have expressed their views firmly, sometimes with mutual anger. EU Commissioner Didier Reynders, for his part, took the floor – at the beginning and at the end of the debate – on behalf of the Commission. “Family law is and remains a prerogative of Member States”, he said. “This also applies to surrogacy, that is allowed in some Member States, banned in others, and unregulated in still others”. “So far, no country has authorised surrogate motherhood for commercial purposes. We are also aware of the risks that surrogacy entails in some third countries”, where destitute women can be involved in this practice in exchange for money. “Moreover, there is always a need to prevent and combat trafficking in human beings, and to protect human rights”. The Commission, Reynders stated, is responsible for ensuring the transnational recognition of parenthood and children's rights, which includes “making sure that the rights of some children” born of surrogacy “are not denied”.
Marco Calvarese