A woman holds one of her twin daugthers born to a Ukrainian surrogate mother in the western Ukrainian city of Uzhgorod on April 14, 2011. (Photo by OLEXANDER ZOBIN / AFP) (Photo by OLEXANDER ZOBIN/AFP via Getty Images)
Florida’s top law enforcement official described surrogacy as "modern day slavery" on Saturday as his office is reported to be lining up to challenge the practice as unconstitutional.
"This modern day slavery is morally wrong, endangers children, and threatens national security. It must be stopped," Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier wrote in a social media post.
What they're saying:
Uthmeier went on to allege that "registered sex offenders and foreigners–including Chinese nationals–buy thousands of babies from U.S. surrogacy companies."
The post did not detail Uthmeier’s specific concerns over those who live internationally and get custody of children born through surrogacy in the United States, nor did it describe the threat to national security.
The backstory:
The Florida Attorney General’s Office is reportedly looking to interject itself into what was expected to be a routine custody case filed by prospective French parents, the family’s lawyer told the Miami Herald, saying the office is arguing that surrogacy violates the Thirteenth Amendment, which was enacted after the Civil War to end slavery in the United States.
Dig deeper:
A Broward County, Florida, judge approved the parents’ filing to gain early custody of their surrogate child; however, his ruling noted that if unborn children have personhood, then they cannot be subject to an ownership contract, the newspaper explained. The case has reached the appellate level, the report noted, but the fathers have had custody since the child was born.
Uthmeier’s office has been contacted for further comment and this story will be updated with any response.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from the Miami Herald and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier’s X account. This story was reported from Orlando.