From a natural law perspective on reproductive technology, which statement is endorsed?

• A. Surrogacy is immoral.
• B. Surrogacy is always permissible.
• C. Surrogacy is morally equivalent to natural birth.
• D. Surrogacy is morally neutral.

Answer: (A)

In natural law ethics, actions are judged by how well they align with the natural ends of human acts, especially the procreative purpose within marriage. Procreation is ideally the result of the conjugal act shared by husband and wife. Surrogacy moves gestation to a third party and separates the act of making a child from the couple’s joined act. This separation, along with the tendency to treat a child as a product or means to an end, challenges the natural purposes of marriage and family, raises concerns about the dignity of the persons involved, and can blur the intrinsic meaning of procreation. For these reasons, surrogacy is viewed as morally problematic or immoral from a natural law perspective, making it the endorsed stance.