Allie Beth Stuckey recently debunked a video posted by a surrogate mother which was directed at Pope Francis following his most recent statement against surrogacy. The woman in the video listed reasons why she believes the Pope is wrong to call surrogacy “deplorable” — reasons which Stuckey disproved.
In the video, ‘A surrogates response to Pope Francis’ statement,’ the woman said, “Mister Pope, I’m so sorry I couldn’t get back to you sooner. I was too busy at my OB appointment for the surrogate baby I’m carrying.”
She continued, “Did you forget that Mary herself was a surrogate — like, the ‘OG’ surrogate? She did not naturally conceive Jesus. I did not naturally conceive this baby I’m carrying. I scientifically conceived and Mary supernaturally conceived, but we did not naturally conceive babies that we’re carrying… carried.”
If it seems like this argument is flawed, that’s because it is. Mary was not a surrogate mother — she was Jesus’ biological mother and raised him along with her husband, Jesus’ adoptive father, Joseph.
As Stuckey explained, “Mary was not a surrogate. She was a mother! Surrogates today are not [always] related to the baby they are carrying and Mary was. Surrogates don’t raise the baby they carry. Mary did. Mary was the mother of Jesus, not a surrogate for Jesus.”
View this post on Instagram
The woman continued, “And not only that, but God is a very pro-life God, and don’t you think that He would look upon me being a surrogate, helping a couple bring their baby into this world, bring life into this world, as something that’s good?”
Stuckey replied with the truth of what it means to be pro-life. “Pro-life means we are anti-killing babies. Pro-life does not mean that we are for creating babies through any means necessary,” she explained. “Surrogacy purposely creates the child with the intention of breaking the bond between the child and the woman carrying him — worse treatment than we give to puppies and kittens. Not to mention the IVF that’s required in this process. Whereas adoption redeems a broken situation, surrogacy actively creates one.”
The woman in the video also argued that the Holy Spirit is at work in surrogacy. “Now the Holy Spirit convicts everyone differently and although some may be convicted and not agree with surrogacy, others aren’t and they do agree with surrogacy,” she said.
Stuckey clarified, “The Holy Spirit does not convict everyone differently. Oh my goodness! God will not contradict himself. A lack of conviction is not evidence of God’s approval.”
Finally, the woman claimed that Pope Francis was wrong to say that surrogacy is the exploitation of a woman’s need to make money, because some surrogates are not paid. “Also, news flash,” she aimed at the pope, “not all surrogates are compensated and paid for what they do but they still do it …”
Stuckey replied with some meaningful statistics regarding compensated versus altruistic surrogacy that was lacking from the woman’s argument. She explained, “98% of surrogacy is for profit and even for the two percent that’s not, the child is still being robbed of the bond that he has created with the surrogate for nine months.” said Stuckey. “This is an unfair, primal wound. So, actually, the Pope, you are correct.”
