The declaration, also called the Casablanca Declaration because it was presented in the city in Morocco, was created thanks to the drive of more than 100 experts, from 75 countries, mainly human rights lawyers, physicians, psychologists and educators, who have been discussing this phenomenon for a long time and the impact it has on people and society.

According to Montserrat Gas, director of IESF at UIC Barcelona, subrogation “is a business that is built on the legitimate desire of many people to have a child, who see this system as a solution.” As Gas continued to explain, “a child should always be a gift, not the object of an adult’s desire.”

In this sense, according to the Institute director, there is a broad consensus against this practice. “However,” she said, “the fact that some famous people are resorting to this practice doesn’t help in achieving a broader social rejection of this business with human beings.”

Surrogacy is prohibited in some European Union countries, such as Italy, Germany and Poland. “In Spain, as in many other countries,” Gas continued to explain, “surrogacy is in a legal gap: it isn’t permitted, but neither is it expressly prohibited.”

The Casablanca Declaration calls for abolishing surrogate motherhood rather than regulating it. Because, as Montserrat Gas reminded, “It has been demonstrated in some countries that legalisation of some practices has led to a slippery slope effect, which even produces and increase in the behaviour instead of avoiding or reducing them.”

IESF director concluded, “3 March 2023 is not considered the arrival point, but the starting point to reach this ambitious goal: eradicate a practice that must be considered unsustainable, because it is harmful to society, and is also harmful to future generations.”