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Original poster

Reem Alsalem of the UN publishes report on surrogacy harms

33 replies

ArabellaScott · 25/08/2025 16:48

https://docs.un.org/A/80/158

This will be presented to the UN in October.

'In the report, the Special Rapporteur examines the different
manifestations of violence against women and girls in the context of surrogacy,
focusing on the drivers of the practice and on the human rights implications for the females involved.

  1. In response to the call for input to the report, the Special Rapporteur received
some 120 submissions from different stakeholders. She convened online consultations with 78 experts: commissioning parents, surrogacy agencies, medical experts and women with lived experiences of surrogacy. '

Select a language for A/80/158

https://docs.un.org/A/80/158

OP posts:
nocoolnamesleft · 25/08/2025 21:49

Good to see this being talked about. Abusing women to traffic babies.

AnyoneInCheltenham · 26/08/2025 14:10

Thank goodness for Reem. She is a true advocate for women and children.

Toseland · 26/08/2025 17:14

Thanks for those excerpts. I've been commenting on many posts on Facebook about surrogacy recently. I've been shocked that there seems to be no care at all for the baby or the mother, but plenty of fawning over how wonderful the new parents are. It truly sickens me.

Strawberrysummer25 · 26/08/2025 17:39

Hope the Scottish Government read about the egg donation part, their adverts for egg donors are disgusting and frankly should be banned, no mention of side effects at all

Abra1t · 26/08/2025 17:43

Very disturbing reading. Thanks, @ArabellaScott.

Original poster
ArabellaScott · 27/08/2025 08:17

AnyoneInCheltenham · 26/08/2025 14:10

Thank goodness for Reem. She is a true advocate for women and children.

Yes. Maybe worth writing to her, but I wonder to whom in the UN one would write to point out how important and appreciated her work is?

OP posts:
Original poster
ArabellaScott · 27/08/2025 09:03

Cailleach1 · 25/08/2025 21:46

Thank you for posting this. It is all so depressing, though, isn’t it? I was on a train yesterday and nearby there was a man with a baby. The baby was really young, not holding its head up yet. Didn’t seem to be able to focus well yet either. The baby was very grizzly, and the man didn’t seem to be able to make it comfortable. He had it out of the pram and in his arms, but with the head not comfortably supported, and the baby’s head kept falling sideways as it had little support. Baby was miserable. He then rocked the baby quite forcefully, which escalated the grizzling. Then he started kissing the baby on the mouth. It was all so disquieting. He proceeded to play loud children’s music beside the baby, but it was so noisy and the baby was so young, that it made the baby cry again. He had all designer gear on, and you just wondered if he also bought the baby. I don’t know why that came into my mind, but the way he was interacting with/‘minding’ the baby was disturbing. The baby just needed gentle holding, nursing, and centering at that very young age. Yet it seemed the tiny human being was the man’s entertainment. I felt very sad for the tiny baby.

Of course, the tiny baby may have had a mother to watch out for them and to which they returned. I hope so. However, I suppose it can enter your mind now, as men are exploiting/farming women’s bodies to harvest gametes and have a baby in order to hand it completely over to the buyer/client. The finished product (the baby) is turned over to the buyer for whatever they wish to do with it really. No supervision, or welfare checks in the same way as when a baby is adopted. One way to avoid all that for the purchaser I suppose, whilst also designed to deprive the baby of a mother, and a mother’s protection.

Surrogacy has created a worldwide industry that buys and sells babies to anyone who has the money.

It's unconscionable. I can't think of anything more morally reprehensible. Yet there is a media wing heavily pushing surrogacy as 'progressive' and glamorous.Celebrities and influencers displaying the product on Insta. The media happily lapping up the content.

Absolutely morally abhorrent.

OP posts:
Cailleach1 · 27/08/2025 10:51

Yes, of course this exploitation/human farming can be commissioned by just about anyone with the money (and the inclination) to do so. As with so much exploitation and human trafficking of the past. No one seems to be asking if it is contrary to the human rights of those who are exploited and trafficked/purchased.

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