The top religious affairs council in Turkey recently spoke out against surrogate motherhood, calling for the practice to be banned because it apparently contains elements of adultery.

The Directorate of Religious Affairs, also known as the Diyanet, said even though it is acceptable for a married couple to conceive a child through in-vitro fertilization, the fertilized egg must be carried by the wife and not a strange woman, because that potentially offends humane sentiments. The statement also said that if a couple could prove that the in-vitro fertilization did not have any negative impact on the child to be or parents to be, it would still be considered acceptable. In the same statement, the Diyanet gave a green signal to the use of alcohol for cleaning medical equipments.

The Diyanet, which was set up in 1924, exists today to make final decisions in religious matters, often related to Islam and the lifestyle condoned by the religion. The council has been criticized in the past for advising women not to wear perfume and men not to adorn themselves with jewelry. Since Turkey defines itself as a secular state, the Diyanet’s rulings are considered recommendations for believers, not compulsory.

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