Towards the Abolition of Surrogate Motherhood - Paperback

by Marie-Josèphe Devillers (Editor), Ana-Luana Stoicea Deram (Editor)

A searing feminist critique of the global surrogacy industry and its impact on women's rights. This collection of essays from international activists and experts exposes the human rights abuses inherent in legalizing surrogacy, challenging the notion that commodifying women's bodies is a matter of 'choice'.

Towards the Abolition of Surrogate Motherhood outlines the harms to women, children, and families, revealing the tragic outcomes of forced separation and exploitation. Contributors like Catherine Lynch dissect the creation of babies for removal, while Phyllis Chesler denounces the slicing and dicing of biological motherhood. Laura Nuño Gómez critiques the ethics-free zone where desires become rights and babies become commodities.

Melissa Farley debunks the myth of 'choice' in surrogacy, highlighting the economic and social inequalities that drive women into exploitative arrangements. This book is a call to action for feminists, social scientists, and policymakers to prioritize human dignity and equality over individual desires and market forces.

Author Biography

Marie-Josèphe Devillers, now retired, was an IT consultant. Despite a very busy professional career, she managed to lead lesbian feminist activism. From 1992 onwards, she was involved in the organisation of the international lesbian-only festival 'Quand les lesbiennes se font du cinéma' in Paris, then in the setting up of cultural and festive events to emphasise the position of lesbians in the LGBT Pride March, as well as in the creation of a solidarity fund to act against lesbophobic violence and finally, in 2013, in the organisation of the EuroLESBOPride in Marseille. Ana-Luana Stoicea-Deram teaches social policy at the Institut de Recherche et de Formation à l'action sociale de l'Essonne (France). Previously, she taught at the University of Bucharest, the University of Paris XII, and the Institute of European Studies (Paris). In 2016, she coordinated the issue 'What is Surrogacy for (East)-European Feminism?' of the Analize Journal of Gender and Feminist Studies. In 2021, Revue des deux mondes published her article 'GPA. Une violence invisibilisée qui affaiblit les droits des femmes.' She also contributed to the book Les marchés de la maternité.