French legislation has been passed allowing children born abroad to surrogate mothers to have French citizenship. The order, which has caused much debate in France, was signed last Friday by Minister of Justice Christiane Taubira. The measure orders courts not to reject claims of citizenship in cases where the parent is French and the child was born as a result of surrogacy abroad. “It is a measure that protects the rights of the child,” Taubira explained, adding that the order does not authorise surrogate pregnancies, which are illegal in France. The minister’s words did little to placate the disapprobation of the opposition, who see the legislation as condoning fertility treatments that are currently illegal. According to the latest figures, France registered 38 cases of surrogate births abroad in the past four years.