A woman by the name of Olivia Maurel, born through surrogacy, sent a letter to the Pope narrating her story. After reading the letter, the Pope invited her and a delegation of the Casablanca Declaration for the universal abolition of surrogacy.
The Pope will meet Olivia Maurel and the Delegation of the Casablanca Declaration at the Vatican on 4 April, before the International Conference of the Casablanca Declaration for the Abolition of Surrogacy that will take place in Rome on 5 and 6 April.
Also present at the meeting with the Pope will be Olivia Maurel’s husband, Bernard Garcia Larrain, coordinator of the Declaration of Casablanca, Sofia Maruri, lawyer and Professor of the University of Montevideo, expert on Casablanca Declaration, and Adriano Borgnignon from Foro delle Famiglie.
This January, the Pope called for a universal ban on the “despicable” practice of surrogacy, which “represents a grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child” and urged the international community to prohibit the practice universally.
Olivia Maurel is a feminist influencer and mother of three children. She discovered that she was born through surrogacy and since then she has been fighting to protect children and their mothers from this trade. The Declaration of Casablanca proposes that states commit to an international Convention to promote a global context of refusal of surrogacy, likely to draw many countries into this virtuous wake.
The International Conference in Rome is intended to be a decisive step to support and encourage national and international initiatives, leading to the adoption of an international treaty. It will be held in Rome on 5 and 6 of April, at the LUMSA University (Via Porta Castello 44, Rome).
Some of the scheduled speakers include Reem Alsalem, UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, Velina Todorova, Member of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, Eugenia Roccella, Italian Minister for the Family, and Olivia Maurel, born through surrogacy and spokesperson for the Casablanca Declaration.
Specialists from five continents will contribute their expertise with a dual objective: to inform public decision-makers about the harmful effects of surrogacy and to provide a legal toolbox for States wishing to defend their populations against this market.
The signatories of the Casablanca Declaration are experts from different disciplines, mainly lawyers, doctors, psychologists, sociologists, philosophers from all over the world. They operate for a global commitment to abolish surrogacy and engage at social and political levels to make this happen.