{"id":15845,"date":"2026-01-13T15:03:21","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T14:03:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/declaration-surrogacy-casablanca.org\/?p=15845"},"modified":"2026-01-22T16:00:54","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T15:00:54","slug":"meeting-with-belgian-minister-of-justice-annelies-verlinden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/declaration-surrogacy-casablanca.org\/fr\/meeting-with-belgian-minister-of-justice-annelies-verlinden\/","title":{"rendered":"Meeting with Belgian Minister of Justice Annelies Verlinden"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\n\n\n
\n
\n\n\n\n\n
\n
\n

Belgian Minister of Justice Annelies Verlinden meets Olivia Maurel and Bernard Garcia for discussions on surrogacy<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Paris – \u00a0january 13 2026\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Yesterday, Madame Annelies Verlinden, Belgian Minister of Justice, met with Olivia Maurel, Spokesperson, and Bernard Garcia, Executive Director of the Casablanca Experts Group for the Universal Abolition of Surrogacy, for talks devoted to the legal, ethical, and international issues related to surrogacy.\u00a0<\/b>This meeting is part of the agreement of the Belgian Federal Government which provided for the legalisation of unpaid surrogacy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Born through surrogacy and now an author and advocate for women\u2019s and children\u2019s rights,\u00a0Olivia Maurel set out the human, psychological, and legal consequences of this practice<\/b>, including when it is presented as \u201caltruistic.\u201d She recalled that surrogacy, in whatever form, is based on the contractualisation of pregnancy, the pre-planned separation of the child from the woman who carried them, and the use of the female body, in contradiction with the fundamental principles of human dignity and the non-commodification of the human body.<\/p>\n

Bernard Garcia, for his part, highlighted the legal and institutional implications of any attempt to legalise surrogacy<\/b>. He warned in particular of the risks of normalising a system that fuels transnational reproductive markets and undermines the foundations of filiation law and the principles of child protection.<\/p>\n

The discussions also addressed recent developments at the international and national levels, including:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • the recommendation of the United Nations <\/span>Special Rapporteur on violence against women, Reem Alsalem, describing surrogacy as incompatible with the fundamental rights of women and children;<\/li>\n
  • positions expressed in the European Parliament;<\/li>\n
  • the recent condemnation of surrogacy by Pope Leo XIV, in continuity with Pope Francis\u2019s call for its universal abolition;<\/li>\n
  • Slovakia\u2019s recent decision to enshrine the prohibition of surrogacy in its Constitution;<\/li>\n
  • and the ongoing debates in Belgium, where the government is examining a bill seeking to authorise a so-called \u201caltruistic,\u201d non-remunerated form of surrogacy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

     <\/p>\n

    In this context, Olivia Maurel and Bernard Garcia urged the Belgian authorities not to lead Belgium into a global reproductive market that violates fundamental human rights, particularly those of women and children, and not to contribute to the legitimisation of a transnational system based on the contractualisation of pregnancy.<\/b><\/p>\n

    The representatives of the Casablanca Experts Group recalled that the legalisation of so-called non-remunerated surrogacy does not constitute an ethical alternative to commercial surrogacy, but rather contributes to the normalisation of a system founded on the commodification of women\u2019s reproductive capacities and the planned separation of the child from the woman who gave birth to them. They stressed the need to place the best interests of the child at the centre of all reflection, not merely as a matter of administrative security, but as a fundamental right not to be the object of a contractual project.<\/p>\n

    This meeting forms part of a growing international momentum in favour of developing a legal instrument aimed at the universal abolition of surrogacy and the effective protection of the fundamental rights of women and children.<\/p>\n

    The Casablanca Experts Group calls on the Belgian authorities, as well as all European States, to commit resolutely to this path and to reject any form of legalisation or normalisation of surrogacy, whether commercial, so-called \u201caltruistic,\u201d or presented as non-remunerated.<\/b><\/p>\n

    \ud83d\udc49\u00a0Press Contact\u00a0<\/b>: Priscille Braun, General Secretary of Casablanca experts Group – WhatsApp : +33 (0) 6 47 91 70 44 – priscille.braun@declaration-surrogacy-casablanca.org<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

    \n\n\n\n
    \n
    \n\n\n\n
    \n\n\n\n\n\n
    \"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    \n

    La Ministre belge de la Justice, Annelies Verlinden, re\u00e7oit Olivia Maurel et Bernard Garcia pour un \u00e9change sur la gestation pour autrui.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

    \n
    \n

    Paris – 13 janvier 2026\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

    Madame Annelies Verlinden, Ministre de la Justice de Belgique, a re\u00e7u hier Olivia Maurel, porte-parole, et Bernard Garcia, directeur ex\u00e9cutif du Groupe d\u2019experts de Casablanca pour l\u2019abolition universelle de la gestation pour autrui, dans le cadre\u00a0d\u2019un entretien consacr\u00e9 aux enjeux juridiques, \u00e9thiques et internationaux li\u00e9s \u00e0 la gestation pour autrui (GPA). Cette rencontre s’inscrit dans le cadre de l’accord du Gouvernement f\u00e9d\u00e9ral belge qui pr\u00e9voyait la l\u00e9galisation de la GPA non r\u00e9mun\u00e9r\u00e9e.<\/b><\/p>\n

    N\u00e9e par gestation pour autrui, auteure et militante des droits des femmes et des enfants,\u00a0Olivia Maurel a expos\u00e9 les cons\u00e9quences humaines, psychologiques et juridiques<\/b>\u00a0de cette pratique, y compris lorsqu\u2019elle est pr\u00e9sent\u00e9e comme \u00ab altruiste \u00bb. Elle a rappel\u00e9 que la GPA, quelle que soit sa forme, repose sur la contractualisation de la grossesse, la s\u00e9paration programm\u00e9e de l\u2019enfant de la femme qui l\u2019a port\u00e9 et la mise \u00e0 disposition du corps f\u00e9minin, en contradiction avec les principes fondamentaux de la dignit\u00e9 humaine et de l\u2019indisponibilit\u00e9 du corps humain.<\/p>\n

    Bernard Garcia a, pour sa part, soulign\u00e9 les implications juridiques et institutionnelles<\/b>\u00a0de toute tentative de l\u00e9galisation de la GPA. Il a notamment alert\u00e9 sur les risques de normalisation d\u2019un syst\u00e8me qui alimente les march\u00e9s transnationaux de la procr\u00e9ation et fragilise les fondements du droit de la filiation ainsi que les principes de protection de l\u2019enfance.<\/p>\n

    Les \u00e9changes ont \u00e9galement port\u00e9 sur les \u00e9volutions r\u00e9centes au niveau international et national. Ont notamment \u00e9t\u00e9 \u00e9voqu\u00e9s :<\/p>\n

      \n
    • la recommandation de la Rapporteuse sp\u00e9ciale des Nations unies sur la violence contre les femmes, Reem Alsalem, qualifiant la gestation pour autrui de pratique incompatible avec les droits fondamentaux des femmes et des enfants,<\/li>\n
    • les positions exprim\u00e9es au Parlement europ\u00e9en,<\/li>\n
    • la condamnation r\u00e9cente de la gestation pour autrui par le pape L\u00e9on XIV, dans la continuit\u00e9 du v\u0153u exprim\u00e9 par le pape Fran\u00e7ois en faveur de son abolition universelle,<\/li>\n
    • la d\u00e9cision r\u00e9cente de la Slovaquie, qui a inscrit l\u2019interdiction de la gestation pour autrui dans sa Constitution,<\/li>\n
    • ainsi que les discussions en cours en Belgique, o\u00f9 le gouvernement examine un projet de loi visant \u00e0 autoriser une forme de GPA non r\u00e9mun\u00e9r\u00e9e, dite \u00ab altruiste \u00bb.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Dans ce contexte, Olivia Maurel et Bernard Garcia ont invit\u00e9 les autorit\u00e9s belges \u00e0 ne pas engager la Belgique dans un march\u00e9 global de la procr\u00e9ation portant atteinte aux droits humains fondamentaux, en particulier aux droits des femmes et des enfants, et \u00e0 ne pas contribuer \u00e0 la l\u00e9gitimation d\u2019un syst\u00e8me transnational fond\u00e9 sur la contractualisation de la grossesse.<\/b><\/p>\n

      Les repr\u00e9sentants du Groupe d\u2019experts de Casablanca ont rappel\u00e9 que la l\u00e9galisation d\u2019une GPA non r\u00e9mun\u00e9r\u00e9e ne constitue pas une alternative \u00e9thique \u00e0 la GPA commerciale, mais participe \u00e0 la normalisation d\u2019un syst\u00e8me fond\u00e9 sur la marchandisation des capacit\u00e9s reproductives des femmes et sur la s\u00e9paration programm\u00e9e de l\u2019enfant de celle qui l\u2019a port\u00e9. Ils ont insist\u00e9 sur la n\u00e9cessit\u00e9 de replacer l\u2019int\u00e9r\u00eat sup\u00e9rieur de l\u2019enfant au c\u0153ur de toute r\u00e9flexion, non comme une simple exigence de s\u00e9curit\u00e9 administrative, mais comme un droit fondamental \u00e0 ne pas faire l\u2019objet d\u2019un projet contractuel.<\/p>\n

      Cette rencontre s\u2019inscrit dans une dynamique internationale croissante en faveur de l\u2019\u00e9laboration d\u2019un instrument juridique visant \u00e0 l\u2019abolition universelle de la gestation pour autrui et \u00e0 la protection effective des droits fondamentaux des femmes et des enfants.<\/p>\n

      Le Groupe d\u2019experts de Casablanca appelle les autorit\u00e9s belges, ainsi que l\u2019ensemble des \u00c9tats europ\u00e9ens, \u00e0 s\u2019engager r\u00e9solument dans cette voie et \u00e0 refuser toute forme de l\u00e9galisation ou de normalisation de la gestation pour autrui, qu\u2019elle soit commerciale, dite \u00ab altruiste \u00bb ou pr\u00e9sent\u00e9e comme non r\u00e9mun\u00e9r\u00e9e.<\/b><\/p>\n

      \ud83d\udc49\u00a0Contact Presse<\/b>:\u00a0Priscille Braun, Secr\u00e9taire G\u00e9n\u00e9rale du Groupe d’experts de Casablanca – WhatsApp : +33 (0) 6 47 91 70 44 – priscille.braun@declaration-surrogacy-casablanca.org<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

      \n\n\n\n
      \n
      \n\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n\n\n
      \n
      \n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      La Ministra de Justicia de B\u00e9lgica, Annelies Verlinden, recibe a Olivia Maurel y Bernard Garcia para un intercambio sobre maternidad subrogada<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      \n

      Paris – \u00a013 de enero 2026<\/em><\/p>\n

      La se\u00f1ora Annelies Verlinden, Ministra de Justicia de B\u00e9lgica, recibi\u00f3 hoy a Olivia Maurel, portavoz, y a Bernard Garcia, director ejecutivo del Grupo de Expertos de Casablanca para la abolici\u00f3n universal de la maternidad subrogada,\u00a0en el marco de un encuentro dedicado a los desaf\u00edos jur\u00eddicos, \u00e9ticos e internacionales relacionados con la gestaci\u00f3n subrogada. <\/b>Esta reuni\u00f3n se enmarca en el acuerdo del Gobierno Federal Belga que prev\u00e9 la legalizaci\u00f3n de la gestaci\u00f3n subrogada no remunerada.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Nacida mediante maternidad subrogada, autora y defensora de los derechos de las mujeres y los ni\u00f1os,\u00a0Olivia Maurel expuso las consecuencias humanas, psicol\u00f3gicas y legales de esta pr\u00e1ctica<\/b>, incluso cuando se presenta como \u201caltruista\u201d. Se\u00f1al\u00f3 que la maternidad subrogada, sea cual sea su forma, se basa en la contractualizaci\u00f3n del embarazo, la separaci\u00f3n planificada del ni\u00f1o de la mujer que lo lleva y la disponibilidad del cuerpo femenino, en contradicci\u00f3n con los principios fundamentales de dignidad humana e indisponibilidad del cuerpo humano.<\/p>\n

      Bernard Garcia, por su parte, subray\u00f3 las implicaciones jur\u00eddicas e institucionales de cualquier intento de legalizaci\u00f3n de la maternidad subrogada.<\/b>\u00a0Advirti\u00f3 sobre los riesgos de normalizar un sistema que alimenta los mercados transnacionales de reproducci\u00f3n y debilita los fundamentos del derecho de filiaci\u00f3n y los principios de protecci\u00f3n de la infancia.<\/p>\n

      El intercambio tambi\u00e9n abord\u00f3 las recientes evoluciones a nivel internacional y nacional. Entre los puntos destacados se encuentran:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • la recomendaci\u00f3n del Relator Especial de las Naciones Unidas<\/span>\u00a0sobre la violencia contra las mujeres, Reem Alsalem, que califica la maternidad subrogada como una pr\u00e1ctica incompatible con los derechos fundamentales de mujeres y ni\u00f1os,<\/li>\n
      • las posiciones expresadas en el Parlamento Europeo,<\/li>\n
      • la reciente condena de la gestaci\u00f3n subrogada por parte del Papa, en continuidad con el deseo expresado por el Papa Francisco de su abolici\u00f3n universal,<\/li>\n
      • la reciente decisi\u00f3n de Eslovaquia, que ha inscrito la prohibici\u00f3n de la maternidad subrogada en su Constituci\u00f3n,<\/li>\n
      • as\u00ed como las discusiones en curso en B\u00e9lgica, donde el gobierno estudia un proyecto de ley para autorizar una forma de maternidad subrogada no remunerada, llamada \u201caltruista\u201d.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

         <\/p>\n

        En este contexto, Olivia Maurel y Bernard Garcia invitaron a las autoridades belgas a no involucrar a B\u00e9lgica en un mercado global de reproducci\u00f3n que vulnere los derechos humanos fundamentales, especialmente los derechos de las mujeres y los ni\u00f1os, y a no contribuir a la legitimaci\u00f3n de un sistema transnacional basado en la contractualizaci\u00f3n del embarazo.<\/b><\/p>\n

        Los representantes del Grupo de Expertos de Casablanca recordaron que la legalizaci\u00f3n de una maternidad subrogada no remunerada no constituye una alternativa \u00e9tica a la maternidad subrogada comercial, sino que contribuye a la normalizaci\u00f3n de un sistema basado en la mercantilizaci\u00f3n de las capacidades reproductivas de las mujeres y en la separaci\u00f3n planificada del ni\u00f1o de la mujer que lo llev\u00f3. Insistieron en la necesidad de situar el inter\u00e9s superior del ni\u00f1o en el centro de toda reflexi\u00f3n, no como una simple medida de seguridad administrativa, sino como un derecho fundamental a no ser objeto de un proyecto contractual.<\/p>\n

        Este encuentro se inscribe en una din\u00e1mica internacional creciente a favor de la elaboraci\u00f3n de un instrumento jur\u00eddico que busque la abolici\u00f3n universal de la maternidad subrogada y la protecci\u00f3n efectiva de los derechos fundamentales de mujeres y ni\u00f1os.<\/p>\n

        El Grupo de Expertos de Casablanca hace un llamado a las autoridades belgas, as\u00ed como a todos los Estados europeos, a comprometerse decididamente en esta v\u00eda y a rechazar cualquier forma de legalizaci\u00f3n o normalizaci\u00f3n de la maternidad subrogada, ya sea comercial, \u201caltruista\u201d o presentada como no remunerada.<\/b><\/p>\n

        \ud83d\udc49\u00a0Contacto de Prensa :<\/b>\u00a0Priscille Braun, Secretaria General del Grupo de expertos de Casablanca – WhatsApp : +33 (0) 6 47 91 70 44 – priscille.braun@declaration-surrogacy-casablanca.org<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

       <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Belgian Minister of Justice Annelies Verlinden meets Olivia Maurel and Bernard Garcia for discussions on surrogacy Paris – \u00a0january 13 2026\u00a0 Yesterday, Madame Annelies Verlinden, Belgian Minister of Justice, met with Olivia Maurel, Spokesperson, and Bernard Garcia, Executive Director of the Casablanca Experts Group for the Universal Abolition of Surrogacy, for talks devoted to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15849,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"Casablanca experts meet Belgian Minister of Justice Annelies Verlinden","_seopress_titles_desc":"Annelies Verlinden, Belgian Minister of Justice, met with Olivia Maurel, Spokesperson, and Bernard Garcia, Executive Director of the Casablanca Experts Group for the Universal Abolition of Surrogacy, for\u00a0talks devoted to the legal, ethical, and international issues related to surrogacy.","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16,51],"tags":[41,44,42],"class_list":["post-15845","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-olivia-maurel","tag-surrogacy","tag-surrogate","tag-un"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/declaration-surrogacy-casablanca.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15845","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/declaration-surrogacy-casablanca.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/declaration-surrogacy-casablanca.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/declaration-surrogacy-casablanca.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/declaration-surrogacy-casablanca.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15845"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/declaration-surrogacy-casablanca.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15845\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/declaration-surrogacy-casablanca.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15849"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/declaration-surrogacy-casablanca.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/declaration-surrogacy-casablanca.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15845"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/declaration-surrogacy-casablanca.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}