Aussie MP slams Pope's 'archaic and deplorable' surrogacy comments

An Australian politician has moved to boycott parliament’s morning prayers after comments made by Pope Francis calling for a global ban on parenting via surrogacy — branding the practice "deplorable".

Dylan Wight, Labor MP for Tarneit in Melbourne’s outer west, said he will no longer be participating in the tradition of reading the Lord’s Prayer at the start of each sitting day in the Victorian parliament in protest over the comments.

The MP, whose brother was adopted, called the Pope's comments "archaic and deplorable" adding that "families are formed in many different ways". His move follows the same decision by fellow MP Paul Edbrooke, the state member for Frankston, Victoria.

"After reading the comments by Pope Francis during the day, I’ll be following the lead of the member for Frankston, Paul Edbrooke and no longer participating in Parliament's morning prayers," Wight wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"Pictured above is my brother Jarrod and I with my two boys. Jarrod was adopted at birth by my parents a couple of years before I came along. Whilst I understand adoption and surrogacy aren’t the same thing — families are formed in many different ways. The comments from the Pope are archaic and deplorable." Wight explained that while he does not practice a faith, he strongly believes in the right to do so.

• Pope calls for universal ban on surrogate parenting, calls it 'deplorable'

• Call to end long-standing religious tradition in Australia's parliament

• It's hard to find a surrogate in Australia. But heading overseas comes with risks

Pope wants surrogacy prohibited

Pope Francis, 87, made his comments in a 45-minute address to Vatican-accredited diplomats, which is sometimes called his "state of the world" speech.

"I deem deplorable the practice of so-called surrogate motherhood, which represents a grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child, based on the exploitation of situations of the mother's material needs," he said. "Consequently, I express my hope for an effort by the international community to prohibit this practice universally."

Due to ethical concerns involved in surrogacy, the practice is illegal in many countries around the world, as well as in some US states. But interest continues to grow as more women opt to postpone pregnancy until later in life when fertility wanes, and as more same-sex couples look for ways to start families when they can't conceive on their own.

The Pope is largely considered one of the more progressive leaders of the Catholic church, having previously spoken out supporting LGBTQIA+ and women’s rights. But it's not the first time he’s spoken out against surrogacy. In 2022, he called it “womb renting,”

Surrogacy in Australia

There are around 115 surrogacy births across Australia every year, according to statistics from the Australian and New Zealand Assisted Reproduction Database.

Surrogacy is legal in Australia if it is done on altruistic grounds – that the surrogate mother does not make a profit from the arrangement – but there are specific eligibility requirements.

Commercial surrogacy, where the surrogate mother makes a profit from the arrangement, is not allowed. It's illegal for residents of the ACT, NSW and Queensland to enter into commercial surrogacy arrangements overseas and doing so could lead to arrest and jail in Australia.

International surrogacy is an arrangement involving a surrogate mother who lives overseas. Critics of the practice warn of the potential for a "poverty bias" against women who become surrogate mothers due to financial need.

with Reuters

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