The problem of nations will always be their refusal to submit and humble themselves before Allah. Humans resist acknowledging their weaknesses, and their pride shatters before the greatness and power of Allah. Thus, they relentlessly seek ways to control the universe: deciding the gender of a child, changing their gender, controlling rain, floods, and volcanoes, cloning creatures, and more. This is just a drop in the ocean of human experiments, reflecting their refusal to admit their limited capabilities. There is no harm in discovery and invention, but only when humans recognize their limitations and helplessness before their Creator's greatness. One such example of human arrogance is the heresy known as “surrogacy,” having no regard for religion, morals, and values.
What is Surrogacy?
The concept of surrogacy has spread in Western countries over the years. A surrogate mother carries a child for another couple by prior agreement. This can be done by fertilizing her eggs with the father's sperm or implanting a fertilized egg from the couple into her womb, either for a fee or without compensation, though the couple often covers her medical expenses. Several countries legally allow surrogacy, such as Ukraine, Colombia, Mexico, Russia, and the United States, where laws vary from state to state. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 18,400 children were born through surrogacy in the United States between 1999 and 2013.
India, once one of the largest commercial surrogacy providers, banned the practice in 2015 due to ethical concerns. Before the ban, a 2012 study by the University of Geneva estimated 3,000 to 5,000 births via surrogacy annually in India.
The Ethical Debate on Surrogacy
Many countries oppose this practice due to ethical and economic concerns, viewing it as a form of human trafficking, commodifying women and children. India banned surrogacy for ethical reasons, despite it generating around $400 million annually. In Thailand, surrogacy became controversial after an Australian couple refused a child with Down syndrome, leading Thailand to restrict surrogacy to Thai couples only and impose strict penalties for violations.
Even prominent feminists like Gloria Steinem and Julie Bindel reject surrogacy for commodifying women's bodies and exposing them to exploitation. Jennifer Lahl, from the Center for Bioethics and Culture Network, who has made several documentaries on the negative impacts of surrogacy, believes it exploits women's bodies, turning pregnancy into a service and the child into a commodity.
Health and Psychological Risks for the Surrogate Mothers
Although childbirth is a natural physiological process, it carries risks, especially for surrogate mothers. In India, multiple embryos are implanted in the womb to increase pregnancy chances, heightening health risks for both the surrogate and the babies. This can lead to low birth weights, congenital anomalies, and rare conditions like ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome and the transmission of viruses like HIV and hepatitis.
A new Canadian study indicates that women who agree to carry and birth children under surrogacy arrangements face higher health risks than other pregnant women. These women are more prone to health issues like postpartum hemorrhage and pregnancy-related hypertension, at rates two to three times higher. They also face higher risks of premature birth.
Scientists found that surrogate pregnancies had a serious complication rate of 7.8%, more than three times the rate among naturally conceived pregnancies (2.3%) and nearly twice the rate among pregnancies conceived via artificial insemination (4.3%). These complications include postpartum hemorrhage, pregnancy-related hypertension, severe postnatal infections, and increased premature birth risks (before 37 weeks).
Not to mention psychological effects on surrogate mothers, due to separation from the child. Research indicates significant emotional attachment to the child carried for nine months, leading to negative emotional experiences upon separation. A 2014 study published in the “Journal of Women's Health” showed that 41% of surrogate mothers experience anxiety and depression after handing over the child.
Negative Effects on the Child
Studies show that children born through surrogacy may suffer psychological effects due to separation from the surrogate mother. These children may feel confused about their true identity and the identity of their parents, especially without ongoing contact with the surrogate mother post-birth. These effects can manifest as feelings of separation or anxiety and are related to the concept of “genetic identity” and its psychological impacts. This can lead to future relationship issues or diminished self-confidence.
Surrogacy in Islam
As for Islam, it completely condemned and prohibited surrogacy, protecting us from its dangers and risks. Allah says, “And fear Allah, through whom you ask one another, and the wombs. Indeed, Allah is ever, over you, an Observer.” (An-Nisa: 1)
According to the Council of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy Resolution No. 16 (4/3) on Test-Tube Babies (In Vitro Fertilization):
The first five (5) methods are all and absolutely prohibited for their own sake or due to ensuing consequences manifested in the confusion of parenthoods (ikhtilāṭ al-ansāb), loss of motherhood, as well as other matters prohibited by These methods include:
- Fertilization taking place in-vitro between the semen taken from the husband and the ovum taken from a woman who is not his wife, and the fertilized ovum being then planted in his wife’s.
- Fertilization taking place in-vitro between the semen taken from a man who is not the husband and the ovum taken from the wife, and the fertilized ovum being then planted in the wife’s.
- Fertilization taking place in-vitro between the semen and the ovum taken from the respective spouses. The fertilized ovum is then planted in the womb of a volunteer woman.
- Fertilization taking place in vitro between the semen and the ovum taken from two strangers. The fertilized ovum is then planted in the wife’s womb.
- Fertilization taking place in vitro between the semen and the ovum taken from the respective spouses. The fertilized ovum is then planted in the womb of the husband’s other.
When Sheikh Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman Al-Jibrin was asked about taking an egg from a woman’s womb and fertilizing it with her husband's sperm, then implanting it in another woman's womb, either for a fee or without compensation, he responded: “This is an innovative and reprehensible practice not discussed by earlier scholars. No scholar or imam of the Ummah has ever permitted it or even considered it, despite the existence of causes and motivations that could have led to such considerations. This practice emerged only recently, a few years ago, when some people were misled into thinking surrogacy was permissible and beneficial. However, this is undoubtedly prohibited for several reasons: Firstly, Allah commanded the guarding of private parts, as stated in His words: 'And they who guard their private parts except from their wives or those their right hands possess, for indeed, they will not be blamed.' (Al-Mu'minun: 5-6) Thus, Allah forbade the misuse of private parts except with wives and concubines. Secondly, Allah commanded the preservation of lineage and offspring. Undoubtedly, surrogacy leads to lineage confusion and overlaps, creating doubts about the child's parentage between the original wife and the surrogate. Even if the child is attributed to one of them, it remains uncertain. Therefore, we advise avoiding this practice. It also involves exposing private parts and looking at prohibited areas, involving the process of egg extraction and implantation in other wombs, all of which are not permissible. This falls under the command of Allah: 'Tell the believing men to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts.' (An-Nur: 30), meaning to guard them by covering them from the view of others. This is our religion, regardless of those who deviate and permit such surrogacy practices, which undoubtedly have grave consequences.”
Dr. Abdul Azeem Al-Mat’ani also said: “Surrogacy is a heresy originating from Western civilization, which is purely materialistic and does not value ethical principles. The truth is that the religious ruling does not need the issue of hereditary influence or lineage confusion. Whether it leads to hereditary effects or not, whether it results in lineage confusion or not, the religious ruling prohibiting this heresy has another basis. The womb belongs to the woman's body, and the body is only permissible through a fully valid marriage contract with all its conditions and pillars. Therefore, the womb is exclusive to the husband with a valid agreement, and no one else is allowed to use it for pregnancy with an external embryo.”
These are the teachings of our great religion, which provides us with laws and regulations to protect us from harm and misguidance. Humans must fear Allah, submit to His commands, and avoid what He has prohibited. If the world followed the true doctrine of Islam and recognized the limitations of human capabilities before the greatness of their Creator, and believed in His decrees, they would not suffer the consequences of their transgressions and arrogance before their Creator.
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- BBC Arabic, Surrogacy: How is a Women pregnant of a Celebrity Child Feeling?
- How Surrogacy Harms Women and Children, The Heritage Foundation.
- The Overlooked Risks of Surrogacy for Women, Institute for Family Studies.
- Surrogacy is booming. But new research suggests these pregnancies could be higher risk for women and babies, The Conversation.
- The dark side of the global surrogacy trade, The Telegraph.
- Surrogacy: Blessing or Curse to Poor Society in India, org.
- info, Surrogacy is Forbidden.
- The Council of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy, Resolution No. 16 (4/3), Test-Tube Babies (In Vitro Fertilization).
