Evening devoted to surrogate motherhood shown on February 9, 2022: response to the plaintiffs

Arcom was alerted to the diffusion on France 2, on February 9, 2022, of a special evening devoted to surrogate motherhood (GPA). The evening consisted of three complementary programs: a drama, a debate and a documentary entitled PMA-GPA, les enfants ont la parole, which had already been shown in June 2020 on France 5.

With regard to the program entitled Qu'est-ce qu'elle a ma famille? was considered to fall within the genre of drama, and that the elements of the script, freely inspired by a book based on a real-life account, fell within the scope of creative freedom.

With regard to the on-set discussion that followed, the Authority noted that the illegality of GPA in France had been explicitly recalled, and that the floor had been given to speakers supporting different positions. The Authority also noted that a documentary on the abuses of this medical practice had been shown during the debate. It therefore considered that the channel had respected its ethical obligations, in particular that of presenting different points of view on a controversial issue.

Lastly, with regard to the documentary PMA-GPA, les enfants ont la parole, Arcom, which ruled on its initial diffusion at its December 2, 2020 meeting, considered that " this documentary work, which by its very nature reflects the subjectivity of its author, as well as the on-set discussion that followed, did not constitute a breach by the channel of its obligations".

Consequently, the Authority did not take any action against the service editor.