The human trafficking scandals in surrogacy demonstrate that the risks of exploitation are not theoretical. Surrogacy relies on large disparities in wealth and women living in poverty are exposed to coercion, deceptive recruitment, inadequate medical protection or independent legal advice and contracts severely limit their autonomy during pregnancy. The movement of women across borders for reproductive purposes, combined with the international transfer of newborn babies, has prompted growing concern among human rights experts about whether some arrangements meet internationally recognised indicators of trafficking. We must protect economically vulnerable women against abuse. It's time to ban surrogacy globally.