Genetic engineering

Ethics Council: embryo donation new rules

Often embryos left over when couples leave for their children a desire to seek treatment. The supernumerary embryos can be donated. A legal grey zone. Therefore, the ethics Council recommends new rules.

Without new rules for embryo donation, many children have no Chance at life, says German ethics Council

In the case of an artificial fertilization, more embryos are created in the rule, as for the initiation of the pregnancy of the biological parents are required. But what is to be done with the surplus embryos, which for years has been in dispute. These may be to others, and couples without children are more passed, as practiced since 2013, in Germany, by physicians? While some see the transfer as an opportunity for infertile couples to have their children come to desire a closer, fear of the other, that in this legal grey zone resulting children have a life-long problems due to unclear family relationships.

“Parental responsibility begins before conception”

Medicine and ethics Council chair: Christiane Woopen

The of the Bundestag and the Federal Council appointed the German ethics Council, a 26-member panel of experts in medicine and the life Sciences, is now coming to the conclusion: “We believe that it is ethically warranted, the framework for embryo donation and embryo adoption, by law, determine”. The Christiane Woopen, a Cologne-based medicine bioethicist and Chairman of the Board at the presentation of a statement in Berlin said. That in the case of artificial insemination of the biological parents of the embryos were left, could have a variety of reasons, so Woopen. “This can happen if the Couple has not completed treatment successfully, if a pregnant women comes from health-related reasons or if the Couple wishes to have no further treatment.” Now it is, therefore, added the Deputy Chairman of the Board, Professor Jochen Taupitz, if you open these supernumerary embryos a chance of life, or whether to discard it.

The legislature is a reformulation of the question, the panel should be aware of a few key points. Including: at the time of embryo transfer the parental rights and obligations will be transferred to the recipient couple. “Neither the donor nor the recipient parents or the child himself should have the right to Appeal against this decision,” adds Woopen.

Right-of-way for life: From surplus Embyronen to children

The child should, however, have the right to know the identity of his biological parents. “The criteria are aligned to the child’s well-being,” said the Chairman of the ethics Council. This applies in particular also in the question of who’ll pay for an Adoption out of the question. A question that the expert panel continues to divide. While a majority is in favour of this, that the Adoption of “the ideal way is carried out by a father and a mother”, a minority of the Committee, other partnership relationships of equal importance to recognize. Ethics Council member Eberhard Schockenhoff pointed out: “If the legislature wants to also open it to same-sex couples, then he should put value, in any case, the fact that they are partnered, so the same legal reliability can offer.” Because of parental responsibility begin even before a child could be conceived.

Central Register at the Federal office for family

Adoption, “in the ideal of father and mother,” says Eberhard Schockenhoff

The panel calls for a Central Register at the Federal office for family and civil society functions (BAFzA). From the age of 16. Years of age should receive children here, the right to information about their genetic origin. Also, could there be the task undertaken, the donor and the intended parents related to each other. It should also be on the wishes of the donor parents is taken into account, to the extent possible. It can be matched, if the donor and the recipient are the same in skin type, eye and hair color, body size and blood group, in order to increase the likelihood that the recipient parents and the child look alike. Such an adjustment under the supervision of the state, there is not currently, even if the number of Transfers of supernumerary embryos increases, meanwhile, in Germany. According to the German ethics Council’s embryos, the donation will be implemented in 21 centres of reproductive medicine in Germany. By the end of 2015 were realized according to the Council of ethics 45 Transfers. From the resulting 12 pregnancies, seven births were made with nine children.

Reproduction of conflicts

Production of embryos only for the purpose of the donation is excluded, however, already today, according to the embryo protection act (ESchG). In addition, it is excluded, more embryos than for the fertilization of the biological parents is required. “There are only so many embryos may be developed in a way that at the end of the cycle an estimated one to three embryos for the Transfer to remain,” the panel Chairman Woopen. This means that a maximum of three oocytes may be developed until the completion of the fertilization process of the physicians. The ethics Council is asking the lawmakers, the so-called “rule of Three” legally be clear. The reason is that, In practice, Doctors the rule, yet flexible, and often more embryos in order to, as they say, promising to restore the treatment. A majority of 14 members of the panel called for a “strict interpretation” of the rule, of 12 members for an “extended interpretation”.

For artificial insemination typically, three embryos are developed further by Doctors. The ethics Council argued for the creation of at this point legal clarity, the conditions under which.

First position, meanwhile, arrived. A spokeswoman for the Federal health Ministry told the news Agency EPD, one would consider the suggestions of the ethics Council of the Federal government “carefully” – jointly with the competent Federal Ministry of justice and family. The family policy spokesman of the CDU/CSU group in the Bundestag, Marcus Weinberg, pointed out that with the regulation of embryo adoptions is probably also the demand for it will rise. “There is a risk to create incentives, additional embryos specifically to produce.” A growing number of children desire parents who would travel abroad, show a tendency, vineyard.