France blocks website that promotes surrogacy

The French Court of Cassation ordered internet host OVH, which hosted the website of a Spanish surrogacy company, to make this website inaccessible. That is reported by Juristes pour l’Enfance. According to the judges, the website offered content of illicit nature.

Even though it is illegal for French citizens to get children via surrogacy, foreign companies that offer the service enter the country via the world wide web. Thus, French people can still hire a surrogate mother in a country where that is allowed, such as Ukraine or the United States, where some states allow the practice.

French legislation requires internet hosts to remove any illegal content published via their services. However, even after formal notice, the OVH company did not take action against the Spanish surrogacy website, Juristes pour l’Enfance writes. Thus, they were aware of the illegal content they accommodated and responsible for it as well, the judges of the Court of Cassation ruled. “It intended to allow French people to have access to an illegal practice in France since the information on this website was accessible in French, the company claimed to work with French clients, and the French public was the target of this site.”