Thesis: Surrogate motherhood conflicts with several principles of Christian ethics and the practice presents more problems than it solves.
Summary
Surrogacy can be defined as the practice whereby one woman carries and delivers a child for another woman, another man, or another couple with or without payment with the intention that the child should be handed over at birth. Surrogacy is connected with the broader field of artificial reproductive technologies in that various procedures such as in vitro fertilization or artificial insemination make surrogacy possible since these are the methods used to impregnate the surrogate. In genetic surrogacy, the contracting couple supplies the sperm and the surrogate supplies an egg and a womb and she is impregnated via artificial insemination. In gestational surrogacy, the embryo is created in vitro from the sperm and egg of the intended parents and the embryo is placed in the surrogate’s womb. Commercial or contractual surrogacy occurs when a couple or an individual who wants a baby enters into a financial agreement in which the surrogate agrees to carry the baby to term in exchange for money. As of 2024, in the United States surrogates are paid an average of $50,000 to $100,000. In altruistic surrogacy, the surrogate mother agrees to carry the child for the parents without any financial compensation, though the intended parents usually pay for medical expenses associated with the pregnancy.
Surrogate motherhood conflicts with several principles of Christian ethics and the practice presents more problems than it solves. Biblical warnings against adultery, slavery, and exploitation of vulnerable people raise serious concerns about the morality of surrogacy. Furthermore, the sanctity of life principle intersects with the unstated assumption that the goal of a surrogate pregnancy is a child free from noticeable defects. The paper will begin by defining the various forms of surrogacy, then summarize various moral stances regarding surrogacy, and then analyze surrogacy from a Christian sanctity of life perspective.