Network for the Inviolability of the Female Body, Radfem Italy, FINAARGIT (International Feminist Network Against Artificial Reproduction, Gender Ideology and Transhumanism) have always shared the goal ofuniversal abolition of the uterus for rent.
Together we support the surrogacy bill that will be debated in the House on 19 Junewhich extends the punishability of the practice even when carried out in a foreign state and which constitutes a decisive step in the direction of universal abolition, offering -when approved- a model for other national legislations and giving greater force to any possible action by the Italian government in supranational bodies.
We therefore call on parliamentarians of all majority and opposition parties to support the bill with their vote in favour regardless of partisan logic and consistent with the unequivocal ruling of our Constitutional Court that surrogacy "intolerably offends the dignity of women and deeply undermines human relations".
Joining us in calling for a vote in favour with Italian parliamentarians are all the world's major abolitionist associations, from Europe to Australia, from the USA to Japan:
CIAMS (Coalition Internationale pour l'Abolition de la Maternité de Substitution), Stop Surrogacy Now, Finrrage (Feminist International Network of Resistance to Reproductive and Genetic Engineering), Japan Coalition Against Surrogacy Practices, Feminist Legal Clinic, Prostitution Research & EducationThey look forward to this law as an important step in the direction of universal abolition.
Also supporting our appeal in favour of the law are some leading figures in world feminism, always been committed against the surrogate motherhood and artificial reproduction of humans:
Sylviane Agacinski, philosopher and newly elected member of the Académie Française, author of many essays including Corps en miettes and of L'homme désincarné: Du corps charnel au corps fabriqué.
Gena Korearadical American feminist intellectual, among the mothers of the critique of artificial reproduction of the human, contributor to the New York Times and author of many essays including The mother machine: Reproductive Technologies from Artificial Insemination to Artificial Wombs.
Phyllis Chesler, American radical feminist, psychotherapist and professor emeritus of Psychology and Women's Studies at the College of Staten Island, author of many essays including Sacred Bond: The Legacy of Baby M and of Feminist Backlash is Finally Building Against Surrogacy.
in addition to
Gary PowellEuropean Special Consultant at the Center for Bioethics and Culture Research Fellow for Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity at the Bow Group.
Here to follow their appeals in favour of Italian law.
CIAMS (Coalition Internationale pour l'Abolition de la Maternité de Substitution)
"ITALIAN LAW IS A HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY"
JENNIFER LAHL for STOP SURROGACY NOW
"A STEP TOWARDS UNIVERSAL ABOLITION"
To whom it may concern,
I strongly support the Italian bill that makes surrogacy illegal in the country and closes the loophole that prohibits Italians from travelling abroad to purchase children born through surrogacy.
Surrogate pregnancies are at very high risk for both the mother and the child (or children) she carries. It is also well known in medical literature that children and mothers suffer trauma when they are separated at birth.
Finally, surrogate pregnancies are very expensive and this necessarily leads to the exploitation of poor and low-income women. The rich can afford to buy the children and those in financial need are the ones who take these risks to earn money.
If Italy passes this bill, it will be a positive step forward in abolishing this global market for buying and selling children and will set an example to the world that women are not for rent and children are not for sale.
Sincerely yours,
Jennifer Lahl
Jennifer Lahl, M.A., B.S.N., R.N.
President and founder of The Center for Bioethics and Culture and
Leader of the international Stop Surrogacy Now campaign
(Translation by Chiara G.)
FINRRAGE
"WE WHOLEHEARTEDLY SUPPORT"
To those concerned,
FINRRAGE (Australia) wholeheartedly supports the Italian government's bill that would make the use of surrogacy abroad a criminal offence for Italian citizens, punishable by heavy fines.
It will be important for Immigration Services to enforce these sanctions. Similar laws in two Australian states, New South Wales and Queensland, and in the ACT Territory are not enforced and so-called commissioning parents continue to return with children from overseas countries and are allowed to enter Australia without having to pay any fines (or go to jail, as required by the legislation).
Surrogacy is a violation of human rights and an exploitation of the birth mother, the egg donor and the child who never asked to be a take-away child. It violates the UN Conventions on the Rights of the Child and must be abolished internationally.
Sincerely yours,
Dr Renate Klein
Coordinator, FINRRAGE (Australia)
(Translation by Valentina Aquenne)
JAPAN COALITION AGAINST SURROGACY PRACTICES
"THANKS TO THOSE WHO DRAFTED THIS LAW"
I, the chair of Japan Coalition Against Surrogacy Practices, strongly support the bill in Italy which regards all surrogacy including international cases as a crime.
Due to the serious cultural discrimination against women in Asian culture, we, Asian women, receive continuous messages from society to sacrifice and utilise our own entities. Asian women are still targeted to be surrogate mothers internationally, even after some countries banned it. We are continually menaced to be used by the others.
Once the Italian government passes the new bill to penalise all clients of international surrogacy - this must definitively contribute to the cessation of spreading this new form of exploitation of women.
I would express my gratitude to the people who wrote this bill, and to the Italian government which takes this issue most seriously.
Yoshie Yanagihara (PhD)
Chair of Japan Coalition Against Surrogacy Practices
Professor, Tokyo Denki University, Visiting Fellow at Yale University
Author of 'The practice of surrogacy as a phenomenon of 'bare life': An analysis of the Japanese case applying Agamben's theory'.(Current Sociology) awarded 'Sociologist of the Month' by the International Sociological Association, 2021.
I, president of the Japan Coalition Against Surrogacy Practices, strongly support the Italian bill that would criminalise all cases of surrogacy, including international ones.
Because of the severe cultural discrimination against women in Asian culture, we, Asian women, receive constant messages from society asking us to sacrifice and exploit ourselves. Asian women are still targeted to become surrogate mothers internationally, even after some countries have banned it. We are constantly under the threat of being used by others.
Once the Italian government has passed the new law sanctioning all international surrogacy clients, this will definitively help to stop the spread of this new form of exploitation of women.
I would like to express my gratitude to the people who wrote this bill and to the Italian government, which takes this issue very seriously.
Yoshie Yanagihara (PhD)
President of the Japanese Coalition against Surrogacy Practices
Professor, Denki University Tokyo, Visiting Fellow at Yale University
Author of 'The practice of surrogacy as a phenomenon of 'bare life': An analysis of the Japanese case applying Agamben's theory', published in Current Sociology and awarded 'Sociologist of the Month' by the International Sociological Association, 2021.
(Translation by Chiara G.)
FEMINIST LEGAL CLINIC
'A LAW AGAINST THE COMMODIFICATION OF CHILDREN'
Feminist Legal Clinic Inc. supports measures to stop the commodification of babies, including making surrogacy unlawful globally. It is good to hear that Italy is strengthening and extending its laws in this regard as no nation can be regarded as upholding the human rights of women and children while it allows a trade in babies to continue.
Anna Kerr, Principal Solicitor Feminist Legal Clinic
Feminist Legal Clinic Inc. supports measures to stop the commodification of children, including the proposal to make surrogacy illegal globally. It is good to know that Italy is strengthening and extending its laws on the matter, as no nation can be considered to uphold the human rights of women and children if it allows the child trade to continue.
Anna Kerr, lead lawyer at the Feminist Legal Clinic
(Translation by Valentina Aquenne)
PROSTITUTION RESEARCH & EDUCATION
'ITALIAN LAW WILL HINDER BUSINESS'
To the Members of the Italian Parliament,
I support the bill that holds accountable those who engage in the harmful practice of surrogacy, wherever this business is conducted. The bill is based on the realisation that the commodification and reproductive exploitation of women is a global business. A law that punishes international surrogacy traffickers outside Italy would expand Italy's protection of economically and ethnically vulnerable women by preventing surrogacy entrepreneurs and womb buyers from simply transferring a woman whose womb has been rented to a country that has no legal protections against the exploitation and abuse of surrogacy. By discouraging the sale of children, the law would also protect children born through surrogacy. Thank you for this bill. It will help us in the United States to follow your example of protecting the human rights of women and children.
Sincerely yours,
Melissa Farley, PhD, Executive Director of Prostitution Research & Education
(Translation by Valentina Aquenne)
SYLVIANE AGACINSKI
'MY FULL SUPPORT AGAINST THE EXPLOITATION OF WOMEN IN THE WORLD'
Aujourd'hui, s'il s'agit de dire mon soutien à cette nouvelle loi, qui pénaliserait la GPA pratiquée à l'étranger, je signe bien sûr.
Protéger les Européennes et acheter des femmes à l'étranger, c'est est estretenir leur exploitation dans le monde.
Amicalement Sylviane Agacinski
Today, if it comes to giving my support to this new law, which would make the practice of GPA abroad criminally punishable, I will of course sign it.
Protecting Europeans and continuing to buy women abroad means maintaining their exploitation in the world.
Yours sincerely, Sylviane Agacinski
(Translation by Andrea)
GENA KOREA
"ITALY IN THE FRONT LINE AGAINST THE SURROGATE MOTHER".
Since surrogacy is a severe violation of the human rights of women used as breeders, and of babies treated as commodities, I strongly support the proposed bill in Italy which would put effective controls on citizens travelling abroad to purchase babies born of surrogacy. Stiff fines would be levied on those purchasing babies abroad and purchasing the reproductive use of women's bodies to fulfil their desires. Once passed, this bill would place Italy at the forefront of world-wide efforts to abolish surrogacy. I am grateful to those who wrote this important human rights bill to end the trafficking in women and babies.
Gena Korea
Author, The Mother Machine: Reproductive Technologies from Artificial Insemination to the Artificial Womb
Author, 'Junk Liberty.' in Towards the Abolition of Surrogate Motherhood
Author, 'The Surrogate Mother Industry Exploits Women' in Science and Technology: Opposing Viewpoints.
Since surrogacy is a gross violation of the human rights of women, who are used as surrogate mothers, and of children, who are treated as commodities, I strongly support the proposed Italian law providing for effective controls on citizens who travel abroad to purchase children born through surrogacy. Severe penalties would be imposed on those who purchase children abroad and who purchase the reproductive use of women's bodies to fulfil their desires. Once passed, this bill would put Italy at the forefront of worldwide efforts to abolish surrogacy. I am grateful to those who have written this important bill to protect human rights and end the trafficking of women and children.
Gena Korea
Author of The Mother Machine: Reproductive technologies from artificial insemination to the artificial womb; 'Rubbish freedom' in Towards the abolition of surrogacy, 'Surrogacy industry exploits women' in Science and technology: Opposite points of view.
(Translation by Valentina Aquenne)
PHYLLIS CHESLER
'A DECISIVE STEP TOWARDS UNIVERSAL ABOLITION'
I strongly support the proposed bill in Italy which, if enforced, will financially penalise all those Italians who buy babies abroad via surrogacy-except for the super-rich who may still be able to afford the fine. Any newborn separated from their birthmother is an adopted child and as such subject to whatever psychological challenges adopted children face. Any birthmother-even by choice and for money-is also subject to whatever medical, psychological, and psychiatric challenges that all mothers face. A human being is not a commodity to be bought and sold and womankind is not a commodity to be strip mined and discarded. This bill is an important step towards the abolition of surrogacy globally.
Dr. Phyllis Chesler
Psychologist, the author of 20 books, including SACRED BOND. THE LEGACY OF BABY M
I strongly support the proposed law in Italy that, if implemented, will financially penalise all Italians who purchase children abroad through surrogacy - except for the super-rich who could still afford the fine. Every baby separated from its mother is an adopted child and as such is subject to all the psychological 'challenges' that adopted children face. Every mother - whether mother by choice or by money - is also subject to the psychological, psychiatric and medical 'challenges' that all mothers face. A human being is not a commodity to be bought and sold, and a woman is not a commodity to be 'extracted' and then discarded. This law is an important step towards the global abolition of surrogacy.
Dr Phyllis Chesler
Psychologist, author of 20 books, including 'Sacred Bond. The Legacy of Baby M."
(Translation by Maria Celeste)
GARY POWELL
'AS A GAY MAN AND HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST I SAY YES TO THE ITALIAN LAW'
It is most heartening to learn that the Italian Parliament is to discuss the criminalisation of surrogacy tourism: the actions of those who go abroad to pursue commercial surrogacy in order to circumvent the legal prohibitions on surrogacy in Italy.
For several years I have been campaigning against all forms of surrogacy for all people. It is a practice that exploits low-income women and subjects them to medical, psychological, and financial risks, and that also risks physical and psychological harm to surrogacy-progenerated children.
It is a practice that is even worse than the sale of organs by living donors: a practice that is rightly criminalised worldwide, with the sole exception of Iran. Just as it would always be the poor who sell their kidneys to the wealthy, it is always low-income women, who may need to pay off debts or loans, and who may also be under duress from controlling partners, who rent out their wombs to the wealthy. In the case of both organ sales and commercial surrogacy, the donor puts her health and life at risk. In both cases the result is the establishment or reinforcement of an economic hierarchy of privilege founded on a risk to physical and psychological integrity of a kind that no civilised modern society should tolerate.
There are two stark differences between organ sales and commercial surrogacy, however. People will die as a result of not being able to buy a kidney, whereas no one will die as a result of not being able to buy a baby; and, in the case of selling kidneys, the object being sold is a human organ, whereas in surrogacy, it is a child with his or her own inviolable human rights. Despite these two differences that make surrogacy an even greater human rights violation than living human organ sales, there is today a push to legalise and expand commercial surrogacy, whereas the legalisation of living organ sales is almost globally condemned as unethical and tends to be promoted only by economic ultra-libertarians.
Although commercial surrogacy is supposed to be illegal in the UK, commissioning parents are still able to pay for surrogacy-progenerated babies abroad and bring them back to the UK, given that the courts operate according to a principle of favouring the 'best interests' of the child, even where a law has been broken or immigration procedures not followed. This 'best interests' principle means that, in the UK, surrogacy tourism has become a popular gateway for wealthy individuals and couples. Furthermore, our Law Commission recommends that no parents be prosecuted under surrogacy legislation lest it result in a cloud overhanging the child who has been progenated in this way. Surrogacy law in the UK is therefore a paper tiger.
It would therefore be a boost to those of us campaigning against this commercial surrogacy tourism loophole in the UK and elsewhere if the Italian government were to impose robust criminal sanctions on those who go abroad to seek surrogacy arrangements. In the UK there is a precedent for prosecuting those who carry out actions abroad that constitute crimes in the UK: those who commit child sex abuse abroad can be prosecuted in the UK under Section 72 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 on their return. The same criminal sanctions should apply to those who go abroad for the purposes of commercial surrogacy.
In my view it would be helpful if the Italian Parliament were to consider imposing sanctions that include imprisonment as well as heavy fines. My reason for this is my belief that, for a number of people, having children via commercial surrogacy is regarded as having a strong cachet simply as a demonstration of social prestige associated with wealth, and I suspect that a number of very wealthy people would not only be willing to pay a large fine, but would regard it as yet another opportunity to demonstrate to the world how wealthy they were and how determined they were to flout the law. The risk of prison sentences would be a completely different matter and should provide a proper deterrent for such people.
Furthermore, I believe that it should be made impossible for surrogacy tourists to transport the babies back into their home countries, and that the law should make the commissioning parents liable to provide financial support for the child until he or she reaches the age of eighteen in the country where he or she has been born, where the child should be put up for adoption. The commissioning parents should be made fully financially and morally responsible for their unethical actions, and the practice of commercial surrogacy tourism should be associated with very strong deterrents if it is to be stopped.
Finally, it is now the case that commercial surrogacy is being promoted particularly strongly by the LGBT+ lobby as a means by which same-sex male couples, and infertile transgender-identified couples, can form a family. Although I support the adoption of children by suitable same-sex couples who pass normal stringent local authority vetting procedures, I am strongly opposed to the contention that surrogacy is ever an appropriate means for anyone, gay or straight, to have children. There is no 'human right' or 'LGBT+ right' to be a parent, and no demographic group can claim to have an inalienable right that seriously harms the rights of other groups: in this case, of women and children. I make this assertion as a gay man who has been involved in campaigning for fair treatment of lesbian and gay people for over forty years; and in recent years, I am seeing the reputation of gay people, and the rights for which we have fought, seriously damaged by the association with commercial surrogacy and with misogynistic and homophobic LGBT+ gender ideology.
It should also be noted that the gender ideology lobby, in its shameful and inexcusable attempts to persuade children they were born in the wrong body, is likely to create large cadres of sterilised and infertile transgender-identified people who have undergone puberty-blockers and cross-sex hormones, and these individuals will also increase the demand for commercial surrogacy that is being promoted by a greedy, manipulative, and sociopathic multi-billion-dollar global surrogacy industry.
As a gay man, and as a human rights campaigner, I condemn the practice of surrogacy tourism unequivocally, and I commend those politicians in Italy who will argue for the imposition of strong sanctions on those who go abroad to carry out dangerous and exploitative practices that they are unable to effect at home.
Gary Powell
European Special Consultant at the Centre for Bioethics and Culture
Research Fellow for Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity at the Bow Group.
It is very encouraging to learn that the Italian Parliament will discuss the criminalisation of surrogacy tourism: the actions of those who travel abroad to pursue commercial surrogacy in order to circumvent legal prohibitions on surrogacy in Italy.
For several years I have been campaigning against all forms of surrogacy for all people. It is a practice that exploits low-income women and subjects them to medical, psychological and financial risks, and puts the children generated by surrogacy at risk of physical and psychological harm.
It is an even worse practice than the sale of organs by living donors, which is rightly criminalised all over the world, with the sole exception of Iran. Just as it is always the poor who sell their kidneys to the rich, it is always low-income women, who may need to pay debts or loans and who may also be forced by controlling partners, to rent their wombs to the rich. In the case of both organ sales and commercial surrogacy, the donor puts her own health and life at risk.
In both cases, the result is the creation or strengthening of an economic hierarchy of privileges based on a risk to physical and psychological integrity that no modern, civilised society should tolerate.
However, there are two major differences between organ selling and commercial surrogacy. One can die from the lack of a kidney, but one does not die from not being able to buy a child. Moreover, in the case of kidney sales, the object sold is a human organ, whereas in surrogacy it is a child with its inviolable human rights. Despite these differences that make surrogacy an even more serious violation of human rights than the sale of human organs from living people, there is now a push to legalise and expand commercial surrogacy, while the legalisation of organ sales from living people is almost globally condemned as immoral and tends to be promoted only by economic ultra-libertarians.
Even though commercial surrogacy would theoretically be illegal in the UK, commissioning parents can still pay to have surrogate children born abroad and bring them back to the UK, as the courts operate on the principle of putting the 'best interests' of the child first, even in breach of a law or immigration procedures. This 'best interests' principle means that surrogacy tourism has become a popular avenue for wealthy individuals and couples in the UK. In addition, our Law Commission recommends that no parent should be prosecuted under surrogacy legislation, to avoid a shadow being cast over the child that has been generated in this way. The surrogacy law in the UK is therefore a 'paper tiger'.
It would therefore be a boost to those campaigning against this loophole of commercial surrogacy tourism in the UK and elsewhere if the Italian government were to impose severe criminal penalties on those who travel abroad to seek surrogacy arrangements. There is a precedent in the UK for prosecuting those who commit acts abroad that constitute offences in the UK: those who commit child sexual abuse abroad can be prosecuted in the UK under section 72 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 on their return. The same criminal penalties should apply to those who travel abroad to engage in commercial surrogacy.
In my opinion, it would be useful for the Italian Parliament to consider imposing sanctions including imprisonment in addition to heavy fines. I am convinced that for many people, having children through commercial surrogacy has a strong value, simply as a demonstration of the social prestige associated with wealth, and I suspect that some very wealthy people would not only be willing to pay a large fine, but would see it as yet another opportunity to show the world how wealthy they are and how determined they are to break the law. The risk of prison sentences would be an entirely different matter and should be an adequate deterrent for these people.
Furthermore, I believe that surrogacy tourists should be prevented from transporting children to their countries of origin, and that the law should make the commissioning parents responsible for the financial support of the child until the child turns eighteen in the country of birth, where the child should be given up for adoption. The commissioning parents should be made fully financially and morally responsible for their immoral actions, and the practice of commercial surrogacy tourism should be coupled with very strong deterrents if it is to be stopped.
Finally, today commercial surrogacy is being promoted with particular force by the LGBT+ lobby as a means for male homosexual couples and infertile transgender couples to form families. While I support the adoption of children by eligible same-sex couples who pass the normal and strict vetting procedures of local authorities, I strongly oppose the idea that surrogacy is an appropriate means for anyone, gay or straight, to have children. There is no 'human right' or 'LGBT+ right' to be parents, and no demographic group can claim to have an inalienable right that seriously harms the rights of other groups: in this case, of women and children. I make this statement as a gay man who has been fighting for fair treatment of lesbian and gay people for over forty years; and in recent years I see the reputation of gay people, and the rights we have fought for, seriously damaged by association with commercial surrogacy and the misogynistic and homophobic ideology of LGBT+ gender identity.
It should also be noted that the gender ideology lobby, in its shameful and inexcusable attempts to persuade children that they have been born in the wrong body, is likely to create large cohorts of sterilised and infertile transgender-identified people who have undergone puberty blockers and opposite-sex hormones, and these individuals will also increase the demand for commercial surrogacy that is promoted by a greedy, manipulative and sociopathic global industry that earns billions of dollars.
As a homosexual and as a human rights activist, I unequivocally condemn the practice of surrogacy tourism, and I congratulate Italian politicians who will call for the imposition of strong sanctions on those who travel abroad to carry out dangerous and exploitative practices that they are unable to carry out at home.
Gary Powell
Special Advisor for Europe at the Centre for Bioethics and Culture
Researcher on sexual orientation and gender identity at the Bow Group.
(Translation by Maria Celeste)
