{"id":2212513,"date":"2024-04-03T18:26:15","date_gmt":"2024-04-03T22:26:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/michigan-catholics-blast-whitmer-for-lifting-surrogacy-ban\/"},"modified":"2024-04-03T18:26:38","modified_gmt":"2024-04-03T22:26:38","slug":"michigan-catholics-blast-whitmer-for-lifting-surrogacy-ban","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/michigan-catholics-blast-whitmer-for-lifting-surrogacy-ban\/","title":{"rendered":"Michigan Catholics strongly criticize Governor Whitmer for lifting the surrogacy ban"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmichigan-catholics-blast-whitmer-for-lifting-surrogacy-ban%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2212513&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Michigan Catholics strongly criticize Governor\u2062 Gretchen Whitmer for lifting the ban on\u2064 compensated surrogacy.\u200b They argue\u2064 that \u200dsurrogacy exploits vulnerable women and may lead to human trafficking. This controversial practice has drawn criticism \u2063from high-ranking \u2062figures\u2062 like Pope \u200bFrancis. Michigan\u200c Catholic \u200cConference&#8217;s President Paul \u200bLong stated \u2064that surrogacy \u200cundermines the dignity of motherhood and childbirth, emphasizing the risks it poses to women in need.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/advanced-search?algoSearch=michigan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Michigan<\/a> Catholics are strongly criticizing Gov. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/gretchen-whitmer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Gretchen Whitmer\u2019s<\/a> (D-MI) decision to sign legislation that lifted the state\u2019s ban on compensated surrogacy, saying the measure exploits vulnerable women and puts them at risk for human trafficking. <\/p>\n<p>Surrogacy refers to the act of a woman carrying and delivering a child for another family. The practice has garnered criticism from the head of the Catholic church, Pope Francis, who called the act \u201cdespicable\u201d as he claimed it commercializes pregnancy. <\/p>\n<p>Michigan Catholic Conference President and CEO Paul Long <a href=\"https:\/\/www.micatholic.org\/advocacy\/news-room\/news-releases\/2024\/new-surrogacy-laws-place-vulnerable-women-at-greater-risk-undermine-natural-bond-between-birth-mother-and-child\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>said<\/a> that every child is born with dignity and worth, but claimed surrogacy minimizes the dignity of motherhood and childbirth. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe change in Michigan law will allow for those with resources to obtain a child at the expense of women in financial need,\u201d Long said in a statement<strong>.<\/strong> \u201cFor profit surrogacy contracts that pay females for the use of their reproductive means violate the inherent dignity of women and unethically allow children to be the subject of a contract. The practice of surrogacy undermines the significant prenatal bond formed between a child and the mother who nurtured him or her through birth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Long goes on to mention that the practice takes advantage of \u201ccash-strapped women\u201d who participate out of dire financial need.\u00a0The conference has even gone as far as to inform lawmakers of the ill-fated consequences of contractual surrogacy worldwide, citing a United Nations report that found commercial surrogacy \u201coften involves abusive practices.\u201d The European Union adopted a resolution condemning the practice, citing that a woman and her body are being used as a \u201ccommodity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe recognize the good that exists in a desire to have and raise children and create a family of one\u2019s own. However, there is a societal cost to compensated, for-profit surrogacy,\u201d Long said. \u201cWith the law requiring surrogates to have previously given birth to a child, young or single moms \u2014 likely those with small children of their own \u2014 will be targeted for the use of their body and enticed with money needed to provide for their children.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Compensated surrogacy has been an issue <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/to-your-health\/wp\/2018\/05\/16\/surrogate-mothers-ask-supreme-court-to-stop-exploitation-of-women-and-babies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>raised<\/a> to the Supreme Court. In 2018, Melissa Cook and two other mothers went to Washington with the hopes that the Supreme Court would weigh in on the practice, filing lawsuits in separate states.\u00a0Cook found herself in a difficult spot when the adoptive father requested she have an abortion after finding out she was pregnant with triplets. <\/p>\n<p>Cook\u2019s lawyer, Harold Cassidy, said lower courts have avoided the issue of surrogacy by claiming it\u2019s a matter of enforcing contracts.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/?utm_source=google&#038;utm_medium=cpc&#038;utm_campaign=WE_Search_Brand-Keyword_2024&#038;gad_source=1&#038;gclid=Cj0KCQjw2a6wBhCVARIsABPeH1v2wivuDbtsrChcLdeq-dqjYvl_alwr1z6OyBCkEbmDhrgwSasUHuUaAkqFEALw_wcB\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/strong><\/a> <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is surprising and disturbing,\u201d Cassidy said. But he claimed that when dealing with a child\u2019s life, \u201cthere are rulings that have to be made.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Michigan\u2019s new law puts stipulations on the practice, such as a minimum age requirement of 21, requiring the surrogates to have independent legal representation, and\u00a0a consultation with medical and mental health professionals.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Michigan Catholics vehemently oppose Gov. Gretchen Whitmer&#8217;s (D-MI) decision to lift the ban on compensated surrogacy. They argue that the move exploits vulnerable women and increases the risk of human trafficking. Surrogacy involves a woman carrying and delivering a child for another family and has sparked controversy in the state<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2542,"featured_media":2212514,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP24038791103194-1024x683.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2212513","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP24038791103194-1024x683.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2212513","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2542"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2212513"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2212513\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2212514"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2212513"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2212513"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2212513"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}