# Is surrogacy modern slavery? UN faces pressure to decide

> International groups are pushing the UN to classify surrogacy as a contemporary form of slavery, reigniting a global debate over reproductive rights and exploitation.
- Title: Is surrogacy modern slavery? UN faces pressure to decide
- Summary: International groups are pushing the UN to classify surrogacy as a contemporary form of slavery, reigniting a global debate over reproductive rights and…
- Keywords: surrogacy, united nations, slavery, reproductive rights, human rights, international law, women's rights, commercial surrogacy, child welfare, lgbtq+ families, fertility, legal debate
- Source: Newsweek — https://newsweek.com/is-surrogacy-new-form-slavery-un-official-asked-to-decide-12449655
- Published: 2026-09-16T15:13:07+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: surrogacy, united nations, slavery, reproductive rights, human rights, international law, women's rights, commercial surrogacy, child welfare, lgbtq+ families, fertility, legal debate
## UN asked to call surrogacy slavery
International organizations are petitioning Katarina Schwarz, the UN special rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, to recognize surrogacy as a modern form of slavery under the 1926 Slavery Convention.
## The slavery argument explained
Petitioners argue that surrogacy makes a child an object of a contract, fitting the 1926 Geneva Convention definition of slavery as exercising ownership powers over a person.

> the status or condition of a person over whom any or all of the powers attaching to the right of ownership are exercised
## Who's pushing for the ban
The Casablanca Declaration Group of Experts, Juristes pour l'enfance, and the Ordo Iuris Institute are among the organizations signing the petition to classify surrogacy as slavery.
## Women's bodies as commodities
The petition argues that a woman's consent to surrogacy is not freely exercising her right to her body, but rather consenting to her own exploitation and enslavement.

> A woman's consent to submit to surrogacy is not the exercise of a right freely to dispose of her body as she sees fit. It is, rather, a purported right to consent to her own exploitation and to her own enslavement.
## UN officials already raising concerns
In 2025, Reem Alsalem, the UN special rapporteur on violence against women and girls, proposed abolishing all forms of surrogacy, arguing it reinforces patriarchal norms and inflicts violence on women.
## The counterargument from advocates
Ron Poole-Dayan of Men Having Babies argues that banning surrogacy because of exploitation cases is like banning sex work entirely, and that ethical surrogacy includes independent legal counsel and escrow protections.

> In ethical frameworks, compensation for surrogates is independent of the outcome, it's for the discomfort, disruption and risk of the process.
## Surrogacy bans around the world
France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and China ban surrogacy entirely. France recently changed course, recognizing children born through surrogacy abroad as children of intended parents.
## The US offers legal certainty
The United States attracts international surrogacy clients because courts issue pre-birth parentage orders naming intended parents on birth certificates, and surrogates have legal protections like independent counsel and escrow funds.

> Almost nowhere else in the world offers that.
## But US surrogacy is expensive
A surrogacy journey in the United States costs well into six figures, compared to fifty thousand to ninety thousand dollars for most programs abroad.
## US laws vary by state
Even within the United States, surrogacy laws differ widely. Kentucky and Louisiana restrict financial arrangements, and Louisiana only allows married heterosexual couples and requires both parents to contribute genetic material.
## What a UN decision could mean
If the UN recognizes surrogacy as slavery, it won't force countries to change laws but could increase diplomatic pressure and influence judges in countries that reference international human rights law.
## Key takeaway

A UN official is being asked to recognize commercial surrogacy as slavery under the 1926 Slavery Convention, which could pressure countries to ban or restrict the practice.