Department of Legal Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic and Orthopedic Science, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Reprod Biomed Online. 2024 Jul;49(1):103970. doi: 10.1016/j.rbmo.2024.103970. Epub 2024 Mar 21.
Assisted reproductive technology (ART) has emerged in recent years as a point of significant innovation in the medical field but is also controversial from a bioethical and legal standpoint. In the Italian context, this matter is regulated by Law 40/2004, which specifically requires that informed consent should be obtained from both members of a couple before proceeding with any ART procedure. This consent is deemed irrevocable at the moment of egg fertilization. Recently, a ruling by the Italian Constitutional Court on this matter elicited controversy. The decision permitted embryo transfer even in a case of parental separation, notwithstanding the father's explicit opposition. The Court emphasized the priority of the woman's psychophysical health over the man's, highlighting the traumatic consequences of interrupting the undertaken path. As a result, both the man's right to self-determination regarding the decision to become a father and the need for informed consent at every stage of medical procedures have been downplayed. Moreover, the extensive utilization of procedures like embryo cryopreservation, with associated parental implications, particularly concerning the time frame and the actuality of informed consent, is posing challenges to the initial application framework of Law 40/2004. The objective of this Commentary is to scrutinize and discuss the issues mentioned above.
辅助生殖技术（ART）近年来在医学领域取得了重大创新，但从生物伦理和法律角度来看也存在争议。在意大利的背景下，这个问题受到 2004 年第 40 号法律的监管，该法律明确要求在进行任何 ART 程序之前，必须获得夫妇双方的知情同意。该同意在卵子受精的那一刻被视为不可撤销。最近，意大利宪法法院就此案的裁决引发了争议。该决定允许在父母分离的情况下进行胚胎移植，尽管父亲明确反对。法院强调了女性的身心健康优先于男性，突出了中断已进行的治疗路径的创伤后果。因此，男性决定成为父亲的自决权以及在医疗程序的每个阶段获得知情同意的必要性都被淡化了。此外，胚胎冷冻等程序的广泛应用，涉及到父母的相关问题，特别是在知情同意的时间框架和实际情况方面，对 2004 年第 40 号法律的初步适用框架提出了挑战。本评论的目的是审查和讨论上述问题。
