WHEREAS the fertility industry in Canada is largely unregulated and profit driven, creating children for the financial benefits of the industry; and
WHEREAS surrogacy is predatory in that it preys on marginalized women and commodifies women and children, violating their human rights and dignity; and
WHEREAS the children produced by surrogacy are manufactured products severed from their biological, medical and genetic sources of identity; and
WHEREAS the number of embryos created for the purpose of surrogacy are frequently more than required for implantation, and are subject to genetic diagnosis for abnormalities which result in many embryos dying or being discarded during IVF procedures; and
WHEREAS some of the unused embryos are frozen, which leads to frequent breakage or failure to divide after thawing, causing the death of such embryos; and
WHEREAS surrogacy subjects women to life-threatening health risk caused by the bearing of a child for the benefit of another; and
WHEREAS Canada is a source of surrogacy for foreign parents, because surrogacy is now outlawed in many countries, such as India, Ukraine, Mexico and Thailand; and
WHEREAS Canada encourages surrogacy by way of providing financial coverage of IVF in health care services in some provinces, such as Ontario (which covers one cycle) and the Province of Quebec (for those under 42 years of age), Canadian law also prohibits parents from reimbursing the surrogate mother for her services except for her ongoing expenses, such as clothing, food, childcare, travel costs (including airfare and accommodation), lost wages, medications, etc.
BE IT RESOLVED THAT surrogacy is detrimental to women, children and society and should be banned in Canada.