A few days away from the vote on the draft bill relating to the surrogacy report and resolution by the Commission, social questions are raised by the Council of Europe and the No Maternity Traffic Collective, the FAFCE[1] and ECLJ[2] take a stance to oppose it.
The ECLJ was represented at the European Parliament on Thursday morning in a “family intergroup” conference on the topic of “Surrogate mothers: a frightening reality”. Gregor Puppinck “in particular was able to outline verbally to MPs the possible ways in which surrogacy could be banned in terms of international law”.
On Thursday, the No Maternity Traffic Collective (which includes the ECLJ) handed in a petition from European citizens to the Council of Europe demanding a universal ban on surrogacy. The 107,967 signatories “want governments to draft a law expressly banning any form of surrogacy in Europe and the European Court of Human Rights to guarantee the rights of women and children and ban surrogacy as contravening Human Rights”.
The “controversial” report will be voted on behind closed doors in Paris on 15 March. On this occasion, No Maternity Traffic will organise a demonstration and press conference outside the Council of Europe building.
Finally, FAFCE “is asking all organisations opposing surrogacy ‘to join forces to make themselves heard’” and all citizens “to make their Assembly Members responsible for their decisions”. FAFCE, which has been granted Council of Europe participatory status, “is asking Assembly Members ‘to examine in detail and reflect appropriately on the subject of surrogacy in order to protect human dignity and the physical and mental integrity of women and children’”. Federation members are particularly concerned about the fact that “this preliminary report will be examined behind closed doors” when the issue “should be the subject of a transparent, public debate. It concerns the dignity of many women and children across the globe”.
Zenit (10/03/2016); No Maternity Traffic (10/03/2016); ECLJ (10/03/2016)