Reconceiving Quebec’s Legal Responses to Surrogacy Agreements

Chaque été, le Centre Paul-André Crépeau de droit privé et comparé organise une série de séminaires afin de promouvoir les travaux de recherche des étudiants et des étudiantes de McGill et d’ailleurs.

Pour cette présentation, nous accueillons Stefanie Carsley, Université McGill.

Résumé

In June 2015, the government-appointed Comité consultatif sur le droit de la famille released a report proposing substantial revisions to Quebec’s laws on surrogate motherhood. It recommended that article 541 CCQ – which renders surrogacy agreements “absolutely null” – be repealed, and that lawmakers amend the Civil Code of Québec to recognize and regulate surrogacy arrangements within the province. This paper examines the Comité’s proposed reforms and considers whether they better support Quebeckers’ reproductive choices than Quebec’s current regime. It argues that while the Comité’s recommendations better protect surrogate mothers’ interests, they do not go far enough to recognize and balance the experiences of intending mothers or to support diverse family forms. It suggests that Quebec might learn from British Columbia’s Family Law Act in reimagining its legal responses to surrogacy agreements.

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