The creation of a human being is not a commercial service. If we legalize egg donation and surrogacy, we create a world in which children are intentionally born into circumstances that systematically obscure or dismantle their origins.

1. Protection of Biological Identity A child is not a "product" that may be assembled according to a modular principle. Splitting motherhood into a genetic mother, a gestational mother and a social mother can fragment the child's identity from the very beginning. Scientific findings (cf. BVerfGE 79, 256 on the right to knowledge of one's descent; Dethloff 2016) demonstrate how essential the knowledge of one's own roots is for healthy identity development. We demand that children not be willfully deprived of the right to grow up in a clear biological relationship with their parents.
2. The Child as an Object of Contracts Surrogacy turns children into the subject matter of contracts. Where contracts are concluded, claims arise—but a child must never be the object of a claim or an order. Legalization would mean placing the "right to a child" above the "right of the child" to dignity and identity. A child is a subject with their own rights, not the fulfillment of a consumer wish.
3. Prevention of "Selection and Market Logic" In practice, the approval of egg donation inevitably leads to selection. Experiences from countries where egg donation is legal show that egg banks catalog donors according to criteria such as appearance, education level, or talents (cf. market analyses of international egg banks). When eggs are selected based on such traits, the child is evaluated and turned into an object of a "custom order" even before conception. We reject this form of "liberal eugenics," which is also critically discussed by experts (cf. statements by the German Ethics Council). Every life has an inherent value that must remain independent of the genetic preferences of the "ordering party."
4. Protection Against Emotional Uprooting The bond between the gestational mother and the child in the uterus is demonstrably profound (cf. research on prenatal psychology, e.g., Siddiqui et al. 2000). If this woman (the gestational mother) is separated from the child after birth (as in surrogacy), or if the genetic identity does not match this gestational mother (as in egg donation), a bonding conflict arises from the perspective of prenatal psychology. Violently severing this bond through contracts or splitting it biologically shows no regard for the integrity of this vital first connection.

Ethical Clarification: Addressing Common Objections

• Right to Exist vs. Right to Origin: It is often argued that these children would not exist at all without these technologies. However, the joy of a new life does not justify the circumstances under which it was conceived. Human rights exist to protect the most vulnerable from instrumentalization. We are not conducting this debate against existing people, but for the ethical standards of our society.
• Sperm Donation vs. Egg Donation: A wrong does not become a right by expanding it. Egg donation physically splits motherhood and represents an invasive, health-taxing procedure for the donor. The necessary hormonal hyperstimulation can lead to Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS); furthermore, surgical egg retrieval under anesthesia carries significant medical risks (cf. annual reports of the German IVF Registry). We oppose the transformation of reproduction into industrial production.
• Our Conviction: No "Right to a Child" at Any Price: According to our ethical view, true solidarity with childless couples is shown in the promotion of adoption and foster care, not in the trade of biological material. We believe that no right should exist that overrides the identity rights of the child. In our view, a child must not be regarded as a form of therapy for the suffering of adults.

Conclusion
We must not tear down the ethical dams of the Embryo Protection Act. Anyone who takes the welfare of the child seriously must defend the integrity of motherhood and the non-commodification of human life. Human rights apply from conception—this includes the right not to be turned into a commodity.

Thank you for your support,
Athina Karagianni
Munich