Department of Endocrinology, Internal Medicine Clinic, Clinical Center of Montenegro, School of Medicine, University of Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro.
School of Law, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy.
Clin Ter. 2024 Jul-Aug;175(4):246-251. doi: 10.7417/CT.2024.5071.
Assisted reproduction techniques (ARTs) have given rise to novel, non-traditional family models. Still, among the various applications and approaches of 'medically assisted procreation' (MAP), the most divisive one undoubtedly is 'gestational surrogacy' (GS), also in light of the rising number of couples who have chosen it over the past twenty years. Another major implication of ARTs is the creation of intentional (or intended) parenthood in addition to genetic one: the genetic parent's partner is thus defined as the intentional (or second) parent, who by free choice, shares the family project with the genetic parent, even without any biological tie with the child. Hence, the intended parent takes on the same rights and responsibilities towards the child as the biological one. Several countries, including Italy, have enacted norms to discourage cross-border surrogacy, deeming it harmful to the dignity of women and children. Recently, however, the Italian government has decided intensify the fight against this practice: the Chamber of Deputies (Italy's lower chamber of parliament) has passed a law which punishes couples that resort to surrogacy even if the agreement and the birth take place abroad. Therefore, surrogacy would become a so-called universal crime. In light of the fact that criminalization is a serious and highly consequential step, which may have life-changing consequences for the intended parents, the aim of this paper is to assess whether this may be an effective instrument for regulating the interests at stake and, therefore, whether it would be desirable for other countries to follow such a model. Ultimately, it is worth remarking that for those who seek to achieve parenthood, such a desire is among the most profound aspects of a person's existential realization. When due to a delicate balance of ethics standards and potentially conflicting rights, lawmakers inter-vene, an authoritarian approach is unlikely to be beneficial. Offering real alternatives to surrogacy in an organic and pragmatic fashion (i.e. expediting adoption procedures, favoring motherhood at a younger age, when infertility issues are less likely to have set in) may be the best way to disincentivize fertility traveling and make sure the rights, hopes and aspirations of all the parties involved are upheld properly.
辅助生殖技术（ART）催生了新颖的、非传统的家庭模式。尽管如此，在“医学辅助生殖”（MAP）的各种应用和方法中，最具争议的无疑是“代孕”（GS），尤其是在过去二十年中，越来越多的夫妇选择了这种方法。ART 的另一个主要影响是除了遗传父母之外，还创造了有意（或打算）父母：遗传父母的伴侣因此被定义为有意（或第二）父母，他们通过自由选择，与遗传父母一起参与家庭项目，即使与孩子没有任何生物学联系。因此，有意父母对孩子承担与亲生父母相同的权利和责任。包括意大利在内的一些国家制定了规范，以阻止跨境代孕，认为这对妇女和儿童的尊严有害。然而，最近意大利政府已决定加强打击这种做法：意大利众议院（议会下院）通过了一项法律，惩罚即使协议和分娩在国外进行，也诉诸代孕的夫妇。因此，代孕将成为一种所谓的普遍犯罪。鉴于刑事定罪是一个严重且后果严重的步骤，可能会对有意父母的生活产生改变，本文旨在评估这是否是一种调节相关利益的有效手段，因此，其他国家是否应该效仿这种模式。最终，值得注意的是，对于那些寻求实现父母身份的人来说，这种愿望是个人存在实现的最深刻方面之一。当由于道德标准的微妙平衡和潜在冲突的权利而立法者进行干预时，专制的方法不太可能有益。以有机和务实的方式提供代孕的真正替代方案（即加快收养程序，在生育年龄较小、不孕问题不太可能出现时，有利于母亲身份）可能是阻止生育旅行、确保所有相关方的权利、希望和愿望得到适当维护的最佳方式。
