Post #1085735

https://thecritic.co.uk/surrogacy-is-not-a-human-right/ With our ever-evolving lexicon of rights, grievances and victimhood, this has escalated to outrageously misogynistic levels. We now face an even bolder claim — that not only is surrogacy a “reproductive right” and “reproductive justice”, but an actual human right. Let me reassure you, there is no domestic or international human rights law anywhere in the world that states that an adult wanting to be a parent gets to be one. What there is, is the right to marry and start a family. Article 12 of the 1998 Human Rights Act incorporated European law into UK law. If there was a rights-based approach to surrogacy, surely this begins with the child? Another international treaty, the Convention on the Rights of the Child states that children have the right to identity, and to know their origins, and ensures that the “sale of or all traffic in children for any purpose or in any form” is banned. These rights include birth registration, a name and, as far as possible, to know and be cared for by their parents. It is designed to protect the child’s right to a family environment and the preservation of family relations, but surrogacy violates this from the outset. Even the preferred model from the Law Commissions would see the mother’s name removed from the birth certificate. Frequently, babies are paid for and moved across borders for parental rights to be secured in the UK. The truth is, these rights of children are politically inconvenient to surrogacy advocates, and have been swept aside, leaving this global market unchecked. But that’s not all. “Reproductive refugee” is a term that is fairly new to me, though I was not surprised to hear it. This label includes those who have to travel abroad in order to afford surrogacy. These poor souls are forced to venture overseas in search of bargain baby deals. As victims due to the costs and logistical nuisances they endure, their “only choice” is to exploit a woman in poorer circumstances than themselves as their homeland fails to support their dreams. Perhaps my least favourite phase, which requires some linguistic gymnastics, is “Humanitarian Surrogacy”. I first saw this at a surrogacy webinar titled “Wombs without Borders”. The obvious border that cannot be denied is a physical one. A womb is inside a woman’s body, but let’s not let that get in the way. Some believe this barrier must be overcome, to be rescued from a fate worse than war.