Should Reproductive Medicine Be Harmonized within Europe?

Abstract:

The medical as well as societal developments in reproductive medicine and respectively artificial reproductive technologies have challenged lawmakers, courts, politicians, medical experts and society itself over the last decades.

Challenges can be seen in cross-border reproductive care, equal access to reproductive care, social freezing, disposal of embryos, multiple implantation, homosexual parenthood or surrogacy. Since different regulatory regimes have been enacted throughout Europe (e.g. liberal system in Spain, restrictive system in Austria) to accommodate, limit and regulate reproductive issues, we are analysing the question, if reproductive medicine should be harmonized within Europe.

Therefore we are not only discussing already existing approaches e.g. self-regulation, or minimal standards of safety and quality, but we are also scrutinizing the role of high courts, such as the European Court of Human Rights (echr) and international declarations and conventions. Concluding we are briefly sketching aspects of a proposal for a potential harmonisation of reproductive medicine in Europe.