Stateless Children? Surrogacy for Gay Couples in France

International and Global Studies Colloquium “Stateless Children? Surrogacy for Gay Couples in France” by William Poulin-Deltour, associate professor of French.

While lesbian and gay couples in France obtained the right to wed legally in 2013, French bioethical laws prohibit these couples’ access to reproductive technologies. Medically assisted procreation is available only to “stable” infertile heterosexual couples of “childbearing age” and child surrogacy is banned in all circumstances. This has not kept some gay couples from traveling abroad to find surrogates, which produces a quandary for the French State upon their return to France: what to do with babies “illegitimately” conceived?

Lunch is free for current Middlebury College students/faculty/staff; suggested $5 donation for others; RSVP by 10/3 to rcga@middlebury.edu. Sponsored by the Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs.