The Greek government has announced new restrictions on surrogacy, barring single men and male same-sex couples from having children through the practice.
Greek Justice Minister Giorgos Floridis revealed the policy change, stating that it aims to clarify legal uncertainties surrounding the definition of an inability to carry a pregnancy.
Floridis explained that the amendments will be introduced in parliament as part of a broader overhaul of the Civil Code.
“We are now making it clear that the concept of an inability to carry a pregnancy does not refer to an inability based on gender. In other words, a woman may be unable to carry a pregnancy regardless of whether she is in a male-female couple, a same-sex female couple, or single,” he said.
As reported by the Greek publication To Vima, the proposed legal revisions will modify family law regulations to explicitly prevent male same-sex couples from accessing surrogacy.
A statement from the Justice Ministry clarified that an inability to carry a pregnancy due to gender does not qualify as medical infertility. Additionally, surrogacy arrangements will only be legally valid once a court ruling on the matter becomes final and irreversible.
Although current Greek law does not permit same-sex couples to use surrogacy, past court decisions had at times contradicted this prohibition. The amendment also seeks to address concerns about human trafficking, which has reportedly escalated in connection with surrogacy.
Authorities have highlighted cases in which foreign women travel to Greece, claim residency status, and act as surrogates for third parties in exchange for payments that exceed legal compensation limits.
Defending the measure, Floridis described it as a “deeply humanitarian” reform, warning that the country could otherwise become a hub for surrogacy-related human trafficking.
The announcement follows Greece’s decision last year to legalize same-sex marriage, making it the first predominantly Orthodox Christian nation to do so.
