Gynecology & Obstetrics
Open Access
ISSN: 2161-0932
ISSN: 2161-0932
Souhail Alouini, Anna Ramos and Pascal Megier
Objective: Surrogate pregnancy is prohibited in France and in many other European countries. We aimed to investigate the opinions of French women on surrogate pregnancy before the revision of the Bioethics Laws.
Methods: An anonymous questionnaire with 15 items was proposed to 200 women after delivery concerning their opinions about surrogacy. The study was conducted in the maternity department of the Regional Hospital Centre of Orleans.
Results: 114 women (59%) stated that the surrogate pregnancy was ethically acceptable. 175 women (88.8%) stated that it should be legalized in France for infertility, refusal of adoption or homosexual couples' request.
65.5% of women of French origin, 34.8% from North Africa and 31.8% from Sub Saharan Africa stated that surrogacy was ethically acceptable (p<0.01). 64.6% of Catholic and 28.6% of Muslim women respectively (p<0.01).
Among the reasons listed by participants in support of legalized surrogate pregnancy: its authorization in other countries (17%), generosity of the surrogate mother (37%), the importance of education of the child by the receiver couple (37%) and the fact that in many cases, the surrogate mother has no genetic bond with the child (34%). Reasons that women listed against legalization include unclear filiations (7%), religious prohibition (9.5%) and the psychological trauma of the surrogate mother and the child (26%).
50% of women thought that the surrogate mother should continue to have a relationship with the child. 137 participants (68.4%) believed the surrogate mother should have financial compensation. 82.8% of participants supported an age limit for the surrogate mother and 67.7% supported an age limit for the receiver couple.
Conclusion: Most participants thought that surrogate pregnancy was ethically acceptable and was favorable to its legalization in France. Infertility was considered as the major reason for access to surrogacy.