Parliament approves assisted reproduction bill
A Health Ministry bill increasing the womens’ age limit for assisted reproduction to 54 years from the current 50 was approved by lawmkers on Tuesday.
The bill was approved by ruling New Democracy and center-left PASOK-KINAL. Syriza-Progressive Alliance voted “present”, the Communist Party of Greece rejected it, Greek Solution voted “present” and MeRA25 rejected it.
Among the key changes introduced are allowing assisted reproduction even if it is not a medical necessity. Until now, the method was allowed only when a woman could not have a child naturally or when doctors wanted to avoid the transmission of a serious hereditary disease to the child.
It also creates the possibility of cryopreservation of genetic material for purely social reasons and abolishes restrictions concerning the freedom to decide on the use of one’s own genetic material, as well as giving donors the option to be named or anonymous.
The bill will also foresees the creation of a medically assisted reproduction unit and cryopreservation bank at the Attikon University General Hospital, exclusively for the use of HIV positive individuals.
