Over the past few decades, the concept of consent has become one of the cornerstones of contemporary feminist activism. It has established itself as the decisive criterion used to distinguish between legitimate sexual relations, based on free, informed and enthusiastic agreement, and illegitimate and criminal relations, imposed through coercion, manipulation or abuse of vulnerability. On […]
Advocacy Kit for the abolitionist position
Letter to the Council of Europe
Paris, 12 November 2025 Co-operation Unit Gender Equality Division DGII: Directorate General of Democracy and Human Dignity Council of Europe Avenue de l’Europe, F-67075 Strasbourg Cedex, France Dear Members of the Gender Equality Division, On behalf of the International Coalition for the Abolition of Surrogacy (ICAMS)—a network of 50 member organisations across 17 countries […]
Towards the Abolition of Surrogate Motherhood, collective work coordinated by ICAMS
Criticising and opposing surrogacy automatically places you in the camp of evil. For several years now, most French media outlets – both public and private – have been promoting it assiduously through advertorials and complacent programs. Scientific publications supported by the CNRS cite the Bible as irrefutable proof of its antiquity, supposedly justifying and legitimising […]
Surrogacy: Hear The Voices Of Those On The Frontline
When it comes to surrogacy, the so-called ‘intended parents’ take centre stage. The women who give birth to the children are either silenced or have their stories controlled to fit the narrative demanded by the market. However, some surrogate mothers find the strength to speak out and break the silence surrounding the abuse they have […]
Letter to the Mayor of Cologne : Concerns About the ‘Wish for a Baby’ Fair Promoting Surrogacy
Henriette Reker Mayor of Cologne Paris, 1st October 2025 Dear Mayor Reker, ICAMS, the International Coalition for the Abolition of Surrogacy, representing fifty member organisations across 17 countries on three continents, would like to draw your attention to the “Wish for a Baby” fair, which will be held on 18–19 October at the Sartory Halls […]
Surrogacy: A New Chapter In Violence Against Women. (FILIA-2025)
Join our two events at Filia 2025 (Brighton -UK) Register to join FiLiA Women’s Rights Conference — FiLiA Have a look at the global agenda FiLiA2025 Conference Agenda — FiLiA Hear The Voices Of Those On The Frontline Auditorium 2 Saturday, 11 October 2025 13:45-15:15 BST (1h 30m) The media glorifies the commissioning people— […]
Madrid, 6 September 2025. A significant date for the abolition of surrogacy
On 6 September 2025, crowds of women dressed in red, the uniform of the scarlet handmaids in Margaret Atwood’s dystopia[i], flooded the streets of Madrid. This remarkably organised event was launched by Las Criadas[ii] and immediately joined by a multitude of organisations, including ICASM, represented by our co-president Berta O. García. The aim of […]
Surrogate motherhood is a form of human trafficking and should be condemned as such.
The text written by Berta O. Garcia was forwarded to Reem Alsalem, United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls. Definition of Surrogacy Firstly, it is necessary to define what surrogate pregnancy is – or whatever name is used to refer to this practice – in order to clarify that it is not […]
Surrogacy: Violence against women (Call for submissions issued by the UN Special Rapporteur)
ICAMS would like to warmly thank all its members and friends for their valuable and necessary contributions in response to the call for contributions from Reem Alsalem, UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women. All of this rich and diverse work allows us to highlight new arguments and critical perspectives on surrogacy, while strengthening our […]