Register for Tough law on fertility treatments approved by Italian lawmakers
Assisted ReproductionMarch 4, 2004
2004 MAR 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A law virtually banning the freezing of embryos and the use of sperm and egg donors and surrogate mothers as well as barring gays and singles from receiving artificial procreation assistance won final approval in Parliament February 10, 2004, as Catholic lawmakers from both the right and left joined forces.
The bill was passed in the Chamber of Deputies in secret voting February 10, 2004, evening by a vote of 277 to 222, with three deputies abstaining. The Senate approved it in December.
After the law is signed by Italy's president and its text published in the government gazette, the legislation will go into force, effectively spelling the end of the country's long-held reputation of the "Wild West" for artificial procreation.
The Chamber president, Pier Ferdinando Casini, hailed the bill's passage, saying lawmakers "courageously took up the responsibility of making a law on such delicate issue."
Legislative whips had told their forces they were free to "vote their conscience," and many Catholics from the center-left, including opposition leader Francesco Rutelli, lent support to the crackdown on Italy's virtually unregulated field of artificial procreation.
Two women from a Communist party wore white masks to show their protest as their colleagues voted.
Some critics said the law was hypocritical because wealthy couples will be able to travel abroad for such widely accepted techniques as insemination with donated sperm or freezing of embryos, which can often help women avoid more rounds of hormone treatment to stimulate egg production needed for in vitro fertilization.
"Parliament approved a bill, which, in effect, will make assisted fertilization much less accessible or will force health care providers to act clandestinely," said Teresa Petrangolini, who leads Cittadinanzattiva, a citizens' group which monitors medical care.
Fertility treatments will only be allowed for heterosexual couples -- both married and couples who have been living together for some time.
Women being treated must be of childbearing age. Italy's lack of laws on artificial procreation had seen many women in their 50s and even 60s come to Italy to bear children conceived with donor eggs.
The law also bans experiments on embryos, a measure criticized by those who said it would hurt research to treat diseases.
No more than three embryos can be created, and all of them must be implanted in a patient's womb at the same time, not routinely frozen for later use. Only if women have health problems can the embryos be frozen, the Italian news agency AGI said.
Attempts to clone embryos carry penalties of 10 to 20 years and fines of up to EUR 1 million (about US$128 million).
Doctors who use sperm or eggs not from the couple face fines as high as euro600,000 (euroUS750,000) and suspension from the medical association for as long as 3 years. Doctors also face sanctions for assisting single women to conceive as well as for helping homosexual couples.
However, couples who resort to donor eggs or sperm won't face prosecution.
For some 20 years, the fierce resistance of Catholic legislators to any compromise kept Parliament from passing legislation to regulate the field.
Among those angrily shouting criticism of the law February 10, 2004, was Alessandra Mussolini, a generally conservative lawmaker who has often taken liberal stands on issues involving women.
Some lawmakers said they would begin a petition-signing drive to force a referendum in hopes of overturning the law. This article was prepared by Women's Health Weekly editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2004, Women's Health Weekly via NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net.
©Copyright 2004, Women's Health Weekly via NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net
