Brussels: an event around same-sex parenthood sparks controversy.
Brussels: A event around the’same-sex parenting arouses the controversial.
This Sunday, an event commercial is organized at Brussels intended for single homosexuals or couples wishing to have children.
The American organization“Men Having Babies” puts these couples in contact with organizations, mothers carriers and private clinics to answer their questions and receive support in their efforts.
Belgian experts consider the initiative suspicious and the holebi associations of Flanders refuse to participate.
Controversy surrounding an event on same-sex parenting
This Sunday, a commercial event is being organized in Brussels for single homosexuals or couples wishing to have children. The American organization “Men Having Babies” puts these couples in contact with organizations, surrogate mothers and private clinics in order to answer their questions and receive support in their efforts. Belgian experts consider the initiative suspicious and the holebi associations in Flanders refuse to participate.
This is the first time that such an event has been organized in Brussels. “Men Having Babies”, chose our capital for its central position in Europe, after having organized similar events in New York, San Francisco, Barcelona and Tel Aviv.
Around twenty private clinics and American intervention services that facilitate surrogacy (GPA) commercially will be present.
The event takes place at the BIP, the House of the Region, Place Royale in Brussels where the headquarters of the Brussels Government is also located.
Participants in the May 3 event will have the opportunity to book a private consultation with one of the agencies and clinics present.
According to the VRT, more than a hundred couples from around ten European countries have registered.
According to De Standaard, a baby could cost up to 100,000 dollars (90,000 euros). This money does not go entirely to the surrogate mother but to the intervention services which promise to take care of everything for this amount.
Having children through the paid services of a surrogate mother is a controversial subject in Belgium and Cavaria, the organization for the defense of holebis and transgender people in Flanders and Brussels which brings together 120 organizations will not be present at the event.
Cavaria's spokesperson told VRT that he had reviewed the event program and judged it to be too commercial an initiative from a single organization and decided not to participate.
Legal void in Belgium
In Belgium, surrogacy is not governed by any legislation, which leads to legal uncertainty.
A debate took place in the Senate to regulate this surrogacy via surrogate mothers.
Petra De Sutter, gynecologist and Senator Groen was at the origin of this initiative, she told the VRT that the procedure necessary to use surrogacy was currently still classic adoption with all that this entails in legal matters and very long deadlines. “It is only authorized out of altruism, this means that surrogate mothers cannot be paid. This is why it would be necessary to have legislation in this area in Belgium.”.
“Reprehensible and similar to human trafficking”
The surrogacy exchange which is being held this weekend in Brussels is “reprehensible”, believes MP Karin Jiroflée in a reaction delivered to the Belga agency.
However, she is “satisfied that the Belgian associations have distanced themselves” from the event.
“For us, commercial surrogacy is similar to trafficking in human beings and children. We are convinced that non-commercial surrogacy must be legally regulated as quickly as possible in order to reject any commercial practice,” explains the Flemish MP.
“In the same vein, legislative proposals are currently in the House. Our proposal provides that a notarial act be established for the birth, thanks to which the future parents become the legal parents at the time of the child's arrival, obviously mentioning the surrogate mother, for medical reasons. We do not foresee any withdrawal period for the surrogate mother for reasons of legal certainty.”
These agreements must, according to Karin Jiroflée, be settled within the medical and psychological framework of a fertility center.
“And under the leadership of this center.” The notarial deed must describe in detail the rights and obligations of the two parties to the agreement.
Source: http://deredactie.be/