Challenges for the legislation enabling egg donation in Switzerland.

Abstract

Switzerland is one of the most restrictive countries in Europe when it comes to the regulation of egg donation in medically assisted reproduction (MAR). Indeed, even after the introduction of modifications to the law regulating reproductive medicine allowing embryo culture, embryo freezing, and preimplantation genetic testing, egg donation has remained completely forbidden. The absolute ban on egg donation is heavily discussed in academia, society, and politics. After many failed attempts, this prohibition is now on its way to be lifted, after agreement was reached in the legislative institutions. The forthcoming legalisation of egg donation raises, however, several questions on how some aspects of this practice will be regulated. In this contribution, we briefly review the reasons why a ban on egg donation has been present for so long in Switzerland, to then analyse two issues raised by the commitment to lift this ban. First, we reflect on the question of whether the new legislation should introduce chronological age limits for access to heterologous MAR. Second, we consider how the practice of egg sharing could be regulated once egg donation is legal.