Indian bishop criticizes surrogacy bill
August 31, 2016
A committee chairman of the Indian bishops’ conference explained why the Church opposes proposed legislation on surrogate motherhood.
The proposed legislation would restrict the practice of surrogacy in India, limiting it to infertile couples who have been married for more than five years. In addition, only a close relative would be permitted to be a surrogate mother.
“No matter how altruistic this proposed surrogacy (regulation) bill may appear, it would not be acceptable to the Catholic Church, as it does not uphold the respect and dignity of the human embryo,” said Auxiliary Bishop Savio Fernandes of Mumbai, citing the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s instruction Donum Vitae.
He added:
A better option to surrogacy would be to adopt a child. In India, there are so many children whose parents have abandoned them, often due to poverty or because it is a girl-child. These children could be given the love, dignity and respect that is denied to them due to no fault of their own, through adoption.
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