CASE NOTE
*
MENNESSON v FRANCE 1
AND
ADVISORY OPINION CONCERNING THE RECOGNITION
IN DOMESTIC LAW OF A LEGAL PARENT–CHILD
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN A CHILD BORN THROUGH A
GESTATIONAL SURROGACY ARRANGEMENT ABROAD
AND THE INTENDED MOTHER 2
ADAM WEISS*
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction........................................................................................................... 343
Facts ...................................................................................................................... 344
Issues..................................................................................................................... 346
Holding ................................................................................................................. 347
Reasoning.............................................................................................................. 348
Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 348
INTRODUCTION
Surrogacy — a woman carrying and giving birth to another person’s or couple’s
child — is prohibited in some countries. This creates problems when people living
in a country where surrogacy is banned — such as France — travel to places where
it is allowed, have surrogate children, return home and then seek recognition that
they are those children’s parents. 3 These situations — which can occur worldwide
— create a risk of statelessness when neither the country of birth nor the country
of the parents’ nationality recognises these children as their citizens by operation
of law.
*
1
2
3
Adam Weiss is the Managing Director of the European Roma Rights Centre, where he
manages the organisation’s litigation work, including over 160 cases concerning 18 countries,
many before the European Court of Human Rights. Adam is a member of the New York Bar.
Mennesson v France (European Court of Human Rights, Fifth Section, Application No
65192/11, 26 June 2014) (‘Mennesson’). The English version is incomplete, and ends at [102].
For references to [103]–[120] please refer to the original French version of the judgment:
<http://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng?i=001-145179>.
Advisory Opinion Concerning the Recognition in Domestic Law of a Legal Parent–Child
Relationship between a Child Born through a Gestational Surrogacy Arrangement Abroad
and the Intended Mother (European Court of Human Rights, Grand Chamber, Request No
P16-2018-001, 10 April 2019) (‘Advisory Opinion’).
Code civil [Civil Code] (France) arts 227(12), 511(24).