Berlin congress discusses surrogacy implications involving Ukrainian women

Cornelia Kaminski. Photo: UOJ

Ethics became the central focus of discussion at the international congress “Children and Commerce,” held in Berlin on March 6, 2026, UOJ’s correspondent in Germany reports.

The event brought together human rights advocates, lawyers, doctors, and journalists from various countries. Cornelia Kaminski, head of the organizing body, noted that the issue of surrogacy has long outgrown the boundaries of private debate and now requires broad public reflection. She stressed that the desire to have children is natural, but it must not turn human life into an object of contract. Similar views were voiced by former Bundestag member Hubert Hüppe and human rights advocate Felix Bellmann, who noted that women are often drawn into such arrangements for economic reasons.

Considerable attention was devoted to the international dimension. Speakers emphasized that Ukraine remains one of the largest centers of the surrogacy industry, where women from vulnerable social groups sign contracts under the pressure of financial hardship. In the opinion of the experts, such processes may fall under legal definitions related to human trafficking. UN representative Reem Alsalem called on EU countries to develop a common policy aimed at a complete ban on commercial surrogacy.

As the UOJ previously reported, representatives of the UOC outlined the Church’s approach to bioethics. In Orthodox teaching, surrogacy is regarded as a violation of the unity of marriage and an intrusion into God’s gift of life. At the same time, the Church emphasizes that children born in this way bear no guilt and may be fully received into the Church community.

Summing up the conference, Cornelia Kaminski urged participants to strengthen public education and dialogue with religious organizations in defense of human dignity and the family.

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