The Evolution of Legislation in the Field of Medically Assisted Reproduction and Embryo Stem Cell Research in European Union Members

Abstract

Medically Assisted Reproduction (MAR), involving in vitro fertilisation (IVF), and research on embryos have created expectation to many people affected by infertility; at the same time it has generated a surplus of laws and ethical and social debates. Undoubtedly, MAR represents a rather new medical field and constant developments in medicine and new opportunities continue to defy the attempt to respond to those questions. In this paper, the authors reviewed the current legislation in the 28 EU member states trying to evaluate the different legislation paths adopted over the last 15 years and highlighting those EU countries with no specific legislation in place and MAR is covered by a general health Law and those countries in which there are no laws in this field but only “guidelines.” The second aim of this work has been to compare MAR legislation and embryo research in EU countries, which derive from different origins ranging from an extremely prohibitive approach versus a liberal one, going through a cautious regulatory approach.

Heterologous Fertilization: the Opinion of Italian Physicians and a Brief European Overview

“…These laws derive from different origins ranging from an extremely prohibitive legislation (e.g. in Italy, Germany, Lithuania and Austria), versus a cautious regulatory approach in Denmark, Sweden and France and a liberal regulatory system in the United Kingdom, Spain, Greece and Netherlands [14].…”

Sperm DNA fragmentation in donors and normozoospermic patients attending for a first spermiogram: Static and dynamic assessment

“…The selection of human semen donors in Spain is performed in accordance with strict multifactorial requirements established by the Spanish Law 14/2006 of May 26, 2006, on human assisted reproduction techniques, defining a semen sample of good quality which will be subsequently used for the production of semen doses with high fertility rates (Busardò, Gulino, Napoletano, Zaami, & Frati, ). It is a complex and multistep procedure involving a physical and karyotypic exam, blood and microbiological analyses, as well as an extensive family history to exclude sexually transmitted diseases, as well as identification of any possible physical and genetic malformation which could be eventually passed on to the offspring (Adams et al., ).…”

“…Such sample is subsequently considered to be a specimen which will surpass the freeze‐thawing process (Adams et al., ; Hu et al., ). This complex assessment represents a certain seal of assurance for women who will be fertilised either through AI or in vitro fertilisation (IVF) techniques using semen samples from a cryobank (Busardò, Gulino, Napoletano, Zaami, & Frati, ; Speirs, ).…”

SIAMS survey on sexological screening during the assisted reproductive technologies in Italy

“…Recently, reproductive medicine has been enriched by techniques and scientific contributions in favour of infertile couples and their right to become parents, although there is a different legislation among countries to regulate the activities of the infertility centers [1,2]. In this regard, we considered a couple to be potentially infertile when reproductive difficulties for a period >12 months occurred, while regularly practising unprotected sexual intercourse [3].…”