Regulation of Assisted Reproductive Technologies in Europe : Variation, Convergence and Trends

This book explores the social, ethical and legal implications of assisted reproductive technologies (ART). Providing a comparative analysis of several European countries, the authors evaluate the varied approaches to the application of ART throughout Europe.

From a global perspective, countries take very different approaches to the regulation of ART. Countries apply restrictions to the access criteria for these treatments and/or direct restrictions to the practice of the techniques themselves. To understand these varied approaches to ART practice and regulation, it is necessary to understand the societal and political background from which they emerged. This book therefore consists of case studies from eight European countries which provide insights into the status and development of the regulation of ART in the last 40 years. The country cases from all over Europe and the three comparative chapters provide insights into the diversity of current ART regulation across the continent as well as into similarities, differences and trends in this regulatory area.

This book will be of interest to practitioners of ART who are interested in understanding the differences in regulation of ART in Europe, as well as long-term trends in this respect. Given the ethical and legal implications the book explores, it will also be of interest to students or researchers in the fields of social sciences, humanities and law.

Erich Griessler is a sociologist and head of the research group "Science, Technology and Social Transformation" at the Institute for Advanced Studies (IHS), Vienna, Austria. His research interests focus on the social, ethical and legal aspects of life sciences, including genetic testing, assisted reproductive technologies and xenotransplantation as well as responsibility and participation in research and innovation.

Lenka Slepičková is a sociologist working at the Olomouc University Social Health Institute, Moravia, Czech Republic. Her research interests focus on the fields of health, illness and medicine in connection with reproduction and family, inclusion, marginalization and stigmatization.

Heleen Weyers is a researcher at the Department of Transboundary Legal Studies of the Faculty of Law, University of Groningen, The Netherlands. Her research is focused on the coming into being of law (politics), its effects (sociology of law) and the relation between the two.

Florian Winkler is a junior researcher in the research group "Science, Technology and Social Transformation" at the Institute for Advanced Studies, Vienna, Austria. His research is mainly focused on controversial technologies (such as solar geoengineering, surrogacy or DNA-phenotyping) and the societal processes around them.

Nicolle Zeegers is Assistant Professor in Political Science at the Department of Transboundary Legal Studies, Faculty of Law, University of Groningen, the Netherlands. Her research interests include prostitution, assisted reproductive technology and other morality issues in a comparative law and governance perspective.