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Reem Alsalem about surrogacy as child trafficking
Most countries stay silent when babies are traded as goods, says a UN expert in the CNE podcast. Children are sold around the world as if they were commodities. The UN Human Rights Commission appointed Reem Alsalem as special rapporteur on violence against women and girls. She has already written reports about the degrading character of prostitution and the danger in which female sports are at the moment. This month, she presented a [report](https://docs.un.org/en/A/80/158) on surrogacy in the UN General Assembly, requesting a worldwide ban on this practice. For Reem Alsalem, the matter is simple: Surrogacy is turning the most intimate parts of a woman into a marketplace for money. She says in the CNE podcast that this should be forbidden. Surrogacy is the practice in which other women can carry and deliver a child for you when you cannot do that yourself. Officially, this helps poor women earn money by carrying someone else’s child. But the UN expert shows another side: this makes it easy for child abusers. As soon as the child is born, they are immediately separated from the biological mother, says Alsalem. All people in the world are quickly breastfed, but those kids are not. Why not? They should not bond with the woman they have lived with for nine months, although this is the child’s right. In the podcast, the UN expert speaks about the “immense harmful consequences” of this. Some justify surrogacy by pointing to the Bible and the history of Abraham and Hagar. This interpretation is wrong, says Alsalem, and in the podcast, she explains why. In the Western world, the legislation differs from country to country. Italy and Slovakia have banned the practice, and Ukraine and Georgia are the European hotspots. Reem Alsalem –herself a citizen of Jordan– is very outspoken. Surrogacy is exploiting female bodies. Does it make any difference that the women give consent? No, since legally, “you cannot consent to situations of exploitation or abuse”, she explains in the CNE podcast. The circumstances in which those women carry such a child are degrading. “They can be forced to an abortion”, she tells CNE podcast host Evert van Vlastuin. She is not impressed by the argument that surrogacy is a means to give offspring to childless people. “There is no right to have your own children as part of your reproductive rights.” She rejects the comparison with adoption. In those cases, the intended parents are checked thoroughly. There are examples of children who ended up in the hands of criminals and people who (sexually) abused the child. “We have also seen that they often struggle with long-term questions of identity and origin.” For more, visit https://CNE.news or subscribe to our newsletters at https://cne.news/subscribe
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Matti Sankamo: How does Päivi Räsänen's lawyer prepare himself?
Just one more week, and then attorney Matti Sankamo will plead before the highest court ever in his career: Finland’s Supreme Court. Christians from all over the world will follow the case, but this does not give him stress. “I sleep well”, he says in the CNE podcast.Sankamo is the lawyer for the Finnish Member of Parliament, Päivi Räsanen. On October 30th, she will appear in an oral hearing at the Supreme Court in Helsinki. And the decision of this court is final, at least in Finland.The persecution started in 2019 after Räsänen posted a tweet with questions about the Lutheran Church’s support for the Gay Pride in Helsinki together with a photo of Romans 1, in which the apostle calls sex between men dishonourable.Two earlier courts acquitted her unanimously of all the charges. But the prosecutor wants this case to be heard at the highest level: the Supreme Court.No doubt, this case could shape the future of freedom of both speech and religion in Finland and perhaps the rest of Europe.In the podcast, the advocate states that it is “very rare” that the Supreme Court in Finland holds an oral hearing. Most attorneys never have cases at this court, making it a unique event in Sankamo’s professional life.He assumes the judges did this because this is a “high-profile case” with broad media attention. In such cases, it could be important for the court to show that justice exists for all parties.Another reason could be that the judges are interested in “Räsänen’s intention behind the tweet”.To podcast host Evert van Vlastuin, Matti explains that it is not the duty of the Supreme Court to find new evidence but rather to find out whether the evidence was interpreted correctly at lower levels. So far, he says the prosecutor’s legal argumentation was “very abstract.” She quoted more international conventions than national law.Matti agrees that this case can have international consequences. He himself borrowed some of the argumentation from the case of the Swedish pastor Ake Green []. “So, if we win, it can influence other lawyers in other countries. Obviously, it is not going to be binding for foreign courts.”If Räsänen loses, she can appeal to the European Court for Human Rights (ECtHR) in Strasbourg. “But that’s a very different kind of process, and the consequences are different. So, it’s important for us to win in Finland.” For more, visit https://CNE.news or subscribe to our newsletters at https://cne.news/subscribe
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How the State of Israel reminds us of God's existence
The very existence of Israel is an “annoying reminder” that there is a God. That is what Tomas Sandell has learned from the rise of antisemitism in recent years. Tomas is the director of the European Coalition for Israel (EC4I). He usually travels between Brussels, New York, and Geneva. But he joins CNE from his home country, Finland, to discuss faith, politics, and the spiritual meaning behind today’s headlines. He has witnessed antisemitism surge during the war in Gaza. For him, hatred against the Jews is “very irrational” and is nothing less than “anti-God”. Speaking with host Evert van Vlastuin, he observes: “People who struggle with godly Judeo-Christian values often also have a big problem with Israel.” The relationship between the European Union and Israel has always been good. Sandell stresses that this even improved under the leadership of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Parliament President Roberta Metsola. Tensions between Europe and Israel were more with the member states. After the Hamas terrorist attacks in October 2023, nine member states recognised Palestinian statehood. Sandell is not impressed. “All because of domestic problems,” he explains in the interview. He recalls attending the UN General Assembly in late September, where President Macron announced France’s recognition. “That was really a flop. There were few delegates, and most at a low level.” In the podcast, he answers whether recognition is a European trend. For him personally, Israel was always there. This is rooted in his Christian upbringing in the Swedish-speaking community of Finland. “David was always my king, Daniel was always my prophet, and Abraham was a patriarch of my faith. It was never difficult to make that connection.” For more, visit https://CNE.news or subscribe to our newsletters at https://cne.news/subscribe
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The miracle that changed the Slovak constitution; interview Branislav Skripek
Branislav Skripek in CNE podcast: How a ‘miracle’ vote changed the Slovak constitution When Slovakia’s parliament passed six constitutional amendments in late September, Branislav Skripek called it a “miracle.” The Christian Democratic politician explains why in the latest CNE podcast. The changes, passed with exactly 90 of the 150 required votes, strengthen legal protections for children and families. For Skripek, that outcome was far from guaranteed. He did not think this would be possible. So what do these amendments actually mean? According to Skripek, they affirm that sex is biological, defend Slovak sovereignty in family and cultural matters, and require parental consent for sexual education. They also ban surrogacy, restrict adoption to heterosexual married couples, and emphasise the child’s right to grow up with their own parents. But the story is not just about law and politics. In the podcast, Skripek also shares his personal experience of the adoption of a severely handicapped child when Branislav was still single. In the podcast, he also reflects on “corruption” in the Slovak government and responds to accusations that Slovakia is following a “Russian agenda.” “These changes are not Russian,” he insists. They are the mind of Christian Democratic people.” To hear Branislav Skripek unpack Slovakia’s bold constitutional changes — and why he believes it’s a turning point for Europe — listen to the full CNE podcast with CNE’s host Evert van Vlastuin. For more, visit https://CNE.news or subscribe to our newsletters at https://cne.news/subscribe
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How polarisation is destroying both church and society
Does demonising turn me into an enemy of my neighbour? Olof Edsinger warns it can. In this week’s CNE podcast, he offers a Christian response.When people stop listening to others in a society, they will become strangers to each other. This can get dangerous, as Edsinger says in the podcast. Olof is not only a Christian Swedish opinion maker but also the general secretary of the Evangelical Alliance in Sweden. In the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk killing in the USA, polarisation is a current issue for Christians. But the topic was there earlier already, with the splitting debate about Israel and Hamas. In the podcast, Olof shares why his Evangelical Alliance takes no official stance on this. Christians who participate in politics have a difficult job, he says. As Christians, they might strive for a “peaceful and quiet life”, as Paul says in his letter to Timothy. But in a political debate, you sometimes have to “create differences”, Edsinger says. “Christians in politics can’t play by the same rules as in church.” Of course, people want to be together with others who agree with them, Olof says. But this also has another side. “In our world of social media, this has created echo chambers”, he says to podcast host Evert van Vlastuin. “You don’t have to be curious about the other person any more.” However, Christians must remain truth seekers who do not misrepresent others. In the podcast, he explains how this works concerning Israel and Gaza. He says that both sides have legitimate opinions. “Truth seeking is not covering up.” Still, Edsinger explains in the podcast that Christians should work for de-escalation. Olof is quite active in the debate about Christian marriage and the Biblical sexual ethics in his country. Sometimes, this can lead to a polarised situation too. Edsinger says he always tries to argue from common ground as much as possible, not specifically from the Bible. “Marriage, sexuality and family belong to the creation sphere that is valid for all humans and not just for Christians. Beliefs that you can only argue from the Bible, you should leave them outside of politics”, Olof Edsinger says. For more, visit https://CNE.news or subscribe to our newsletters at https://cne.news/subscribe
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