Freezing Embryos—A Woman's Best Option, But Is It Legal?

Extract

An Italian woman wanted to freeze embryos before her cancer treatment so that she could have children in the future. She spoke to her partner and informed her doctor, Antonella Surbone, M.D., Ph.D., at the European School of Oncology in Milan, Italy. But Italy's laws don't permit a single woman to preserve her embryos, and Surbone had to tell her no.

“This patient had major problems doing this because of the laws of the country. This is because of ethical and religious issues. Embryo cryopreservation is only possible for married couples. In Italy there is presently a very heated debate on this,” Surbone said.

The laws governing fertility preservation measures for women are under debate in many parts of Europe and North America. Compared with the options in Italy and other parts of Europe, regulations in the United States are not restrictive—they allow all women to cryopreserve embryos. But freedoms for single women may be challenged in the future; proposed bills in Virginia and Indiana would allow only married couples to cryopreserve embryos, and a bill in Arizona would have made reimbursement for egg donation illegal. All were quickly defeated, but the propositions got the attention of lawmakers and researchers around the country.