European Accomplishments in Regulation of the Family Status of the Child Conceived by Artificial Reproduction Technologies
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
In this paper, the author analyzes family status of the child conceived by artificial reproduction technologies using the following treatments: homologues artificial insemination, heterologus artificial insemination (artificial insemination by donor), ovum donation, embryo donation and surrogate motherhood.
One specific situation of homologues artificial insemination is posthumous insemination, insemination after the death of the husband/partner. This procedure is allowed in, for instance, United Kingdom, but not allowed in France, Switzerland, and Italy. Considering genetics elements in this situation there is no doubt on fatherhood – father is a man whose sperm is used for insemination, regardless of the fact if frozen sperm or frozen embryo is used in the procedure. Nevertheless, until 2008 in United Kingdom, the husband/partner was not considered as legal father, because of the fact that the child was born after his death.
Heterologous artificial insemination could be used in three different situations. First, when subjects are spouses or unmarried partners of different sexes. Second, when subjects are spouses or unmarried partners of the same sex and the third if a single woman is an only subject. Most recent procedure is the one in which subjects are spouses or unmarried partners of the same sex, specifically two women. This procedure is allowed in the United Kingdom and Sweden. In these legislatures, there is a rule that the woman who delivers the child is legal mother, and her spouse/partner is a second parent of the child.
The most recent procedure of egg donation is a donation of only a part of an egg, mitochondrial DNA. In this case, there are in fact three genetic parents of the child: two genetic mothers and a father. Legally, the child has one mother (the woman who delivers a child) and a father. One of potential outcomes of the recent research is the ability to create human embryo without any male genetic contribution – by transferring the nucleus of a somatic cell from one woman into an enucleated egg of another. In that case, the child would not have genetic father at all.
Bearing in mind the new artificial reproduction technologies and their influence to legal rules of establishment of the family status of the child, it could be said that the legal principle of the autonomy of the parties is widened in comparison to material truth. People who wish to be parents become legal parents although they are not generic parents. Sometimes they cannot be genetic parents due to their infertility and sometimes because they are of the same sex. As a result of artificial reproduction technologies, a child could have a genetic link with one of the parents, only with a mother – in the heterologous insemination, only a father – as in egg donation and genetic surrogacy. The child could have genetic link with both of the parents – as in the gestational surrogacy, or it could have no genetic links with his/her legal parents – as in embryo donation.
According to some European legislatures, it is possible for the child to have a mother and the other female parent, or a father and the other male parent. Surrogate mother, as well as donors of the genetic material, are not considered as parents. Radical change in social and individual perception of parenthood could accept the fact the child could have more than two parents with different roles (biological - genetic parents, gestational mother, social – legal parents).
Downloads
Article Details
Published by the Institute of Social Sciences - Center for Demographic Research
References
BERNAT, E. & VRANES, E. (1996). The Austrian Act on Procreative Medicine: Scope, Impacts and Inconsistencies. In D. Evans (ed.), Creating the Child. Netherlands: Kluwer Law Internatinal.
CAHN, N. (2013). The New Kinship: Constructing Donor-Conceived Families. New York: University Press.
CHAVES, M. (2011). Homoeffective Parentage in Relation to Medically Assisted Reproduction: a Paralel betwen Brazil and Portugal. In B. Atkin (ed.), The International Survey of Family Law. Bristol: Jordan Publishing Limited.
CHECK HAYDEN, E. (2013). Regulators weigh Benefits of "Three-parent" Fertilization. Nature 502: 284–285.
CURRY-SUMNER, I. & VONK, M. (2011). National and International Surrogacy: An Odyssey. In B. Atkin (ed.), The International Survey of Family Law. Bristol: Jordan Publishing Limited.
CURRY-SUMNER, I. & VONK, M. (2012). National and International Surrogacy: Something Old, Something New, Something International and Something Asked. In B. Atkin (ed.), The International Survey of Family Law. Bristol: Jordan Publishing Limited.
CVEJIĆ JANČIĆ, O. (2011). A Child’s Origin and Parenting. Paper presented at „Symposium on the Family: Parenting and the Influence of Culture“, University of Malta, Malta, July 15-16, 2011
DETHLOFF, N. & RAMSER, C. (2007). Tension Between Legal, Biological and Social Conceptions of Parentage in German Law. In I. Schwenzer (ed.), Tension Between Legal, Biological and Social Conceptions of Parentage. Cambridge-Antwerp-Portland: Intersentia.
DEECH, R. & A. SMAJDOR (2007). From IVF to Immortality. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
DRAŠKIĆ, M. (1992). Porodičnopravni aspekti artificijelne inseminacije. Anali Pravnog fakulteta u Beogradu 40(4): 239-264.
FITZGIBBON, S. (2012). The Biological Basis for the Recognition of the Family. International Journal of the Jurisprudence of the Family 3.
GUILLOD, O. (2000). A New Divorce Law for the New Millenium. In A. Bainham (ed.), The International Survey of Family Law. Bristol: Jordan Publishing Limited.
JÄNTERÄ-JAREBORG, M. (2006). Sweden: Lesbian Couples are Entitled to Assisted Ferti¬li¬zation – and Equal Rights of Parentage. Zeitschrift für das gesamte Familienrecht 18: 1329-1330.
JOVIĆ, O. (2005). Surogat materinstvo ‒ nova dimenzija roditeljstva. Beograd: Zadužbina Andrejević.
KOUNOUGERI-MANOLEDAKI, E. (2005). Surrogate Motherhood in Greece (According to the New Law on Assisted Reproduction). In A. Bainham (ed.), The International Survey of Family Law. Bristol: Family Law.
KOVAČEK STANIĆ, G. (2007). Zajednica lica istog pola: Komparacija različitih evropskih pravnih koncepata. Evropsko zakonodavstvo 19-22: 106.
KOVAČEK STANIĆ, G. (2008). Legislativa o ljudskoj reprodukciji uz biomedicinsku pomoć. Novi Sad: Centar za izdavačku delatnost ‒ Pravni fakultet.
KOVAČEK STANIĆ, G. (2010). Porodičnopravni aspekt biomedicinski potpomognutog oplođenja u pravu Srbije i evropskim pravima. Zbornik Matice srpske za društvene nauke 131: 415-430.
KOVAČEK STANIĆ, G. (2011). Autonomija versus materijalna istina u komparativnom pravu o porodičnom statusu deteta. Zbornik Pravnog fakulteta u Novom Sadu 45(3): 195-222.
KOVAČEK STANIĆ, G. (2013). Biomedicinski potpomognuto začeće i rođenje deteta: Surogat materinstvo u uporednom evropskom pravu i Srbiji. Stanovništvo 51(1): 1-21.
KOVAČEK STANIĆ, G. (2013). State Regulation of Surrogate Motherhood: Liberal or Restrictive Approach. International Journal of the Jurisprudence of the Family 4.
KOVAČEK STANIĆ, G. (2014). Porodično pravo: partnersko, dečje i starateljsko pravo. Novi Sad: Centar za izdavačku delatnost ‒ Pravni fakultet).
MACINTOSH, K. L. (2011). Illegal Beings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
MORGAN, D. & LEE, R.G. (1991). Blacstone’s Guide to the Human Fert¬ili¬sation and Embryology Act 1990. London: Blackstone Press Limited.
RUBELLIN-DEVICHI, J. (1994). Reforms and Controversies. In A. Bainham (ed.), The International Survey of Family Law. The Hague, Boston, London: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers.
SALDEEN, Å. (2004). The Children Ombudsman, Adoption by Homosexual Partners and Assisted Reproduction. In A. Bainham (ed.) The International Survey of Family Law. The Hague, Boston, London: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers.
Službeni glasnik RS (2005). Porodični zakon. Službeni glasnik RS br. 18/2005.
Službeni glasnik RS (2009). Zakon o lečenju neplodnosti postupcima biomedi-cinski potpomognutog oplođenja. Službeni glasnik RS br.72/2009.
WELSTEAD, M. (2011). Child is My Child: This Child is Your Child; This Child was made for You and Me – Surrogacy in England and Wales. In B. Atkin (ed.), The International Survey of Family Law (Bristol: Jordan Publishing Limited).