Turkey's religious council, the Diyanet, has made headlines again this week with its description of surrogate mother hood that compares it to adultery. This statement may seem extreme to those not familiar with Islam's strict religious beliefs, and in fact, some moderate Muslims find it to be a bit harsh.
According to the Hurriyet Daily News, the religious leaders said in a statement that, "An in vitro fertilization (IVF) process that starts and finalizes between individuals who are not de facto married is religiously not acceptable as it offends humane feelings and contains elements of adultery."
In vitro fertilization, or IVF, is a process that involves injecting an egg from a female donor with sperm from a male donor, then having the fertilized egg placed inside a female carrier. Sometimes the carrier is the original egg donor, and in some cases a surrogate carrier is used. While the Diyanet is not opposed to IVF within the bonds of marriage, surrogacy is taboo to the religious leaders.
The NZ Herald reports that the Diyanet was formed to help make decisions regarding religious matters. The first record of the Diyanet is in 1924, and while it is the standing authority on all things religious, Turkey is a secular nation. This means that all decisions made by the council are suggestions to Islamic believers and not considered to be mandatory laws.
The religious council is already under fire from different groups around the world for statement regarding issues like gay adoption. Sir Elton John has led the charge in a similar campaign against French designers Dolce and Gabbana for describing children born through IVF as "synthetic" babies. This touched off a whirlwind of people who vowed to boycott the designers following their remarks.
What do you think? Is surrogacy a bad idea, or is it a perfect means for couples who could not have children without a surrogate to be able to experience the joys of parenthood? Tell us what you think in the comments below!
