Surrogacy May Soon be Banned in Sweden

By Princess Chukwuneke

Last Wednesday, the government task force for controversial issues in Sweden concluded that surrogate pregnancies should be banned with no exceptions. According to lead investigator, Eva Wendel Rosenberg, this decision was made to stop women from being directly or indirectly pressured into becoming surrogate mothers. She added that there are several risks of becoming pregnant and giving birth that must be considered.

Contrary to the task force’s decision, Sweden’s National Council on Medical Ethics (SMER) recommended three years ago that unpaid surrogacy should be an option. After all, Surrogacy is legal in European countries like France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, and while paid surrogacy is not accepted, unpaid surrogacy is allowed in Denmark, Ireland, Belgium, and the UK. Outside of Europe, India and some parts of the United States permit commercial surrogacy.

However, Wendel’s report will be all-encompassing, discouraging Swedes from not only using surrogates from Sweden, but also using those from other countries. This portion of the report will be added in order to avoid “the exploitation of women in poorer countries.”

Because this is an issue that divides politicians, all parties involved await Rosenberg’s report of the task force’s findings before taking a stance on the surrogacy issue.