Spanish Parliament Lifts Some Restrictions on IVF Treatment, Allows Varying Usage of Excess Embryos [Feb 21, 2006]
Spain’s Parliament on Thursday approved a measure that would lift restrictions on the number of embryos that can be implanted into a woman undergoing in vitro fertilization and would allow couples to determine the future use of remaining embryos, the Associated Press reports (Associated Press, 2/16). The current law says that up to three embryos can be implanted during each IVF cycle, Reuters reports (Pinedo, Reuters, 2/16). According to the Associated Press, the legislation would remove the limits on the number of embryos that can be implanted because IVF is “costly and both physically and emotionally draining for couples.” It also would allow couples to prepare extra embryos for implantation in case the first cycle is not successful (Associated Press, 2/16). Under the legislation, the embryos could “be reserved for (the couple’s) own use in the future, given to other couples, authorized to be used in research, or (the couple) [could] ask for them to stop being preserved,” Health Minister Elena Salgado said. The measure “in limited and exceptional cases” also would allow a third party to use embryos to help couples conceive a healthy infant to help save the life of a sibling, according to Reuters. The legislation would maintain the previous ban on surrogate motherhood and would oversee sperm and egg donations to prohibit their use for commercial purposes (Reuters, 2/16) . The measure now moves to the Senate for consideration, but a vote on the legislation likely will not be held for several months (Associated Press, 2/16).