Large group of MPs return to bill of embryo freezing

The bill was proposed by 57 parliamentarians, i.e., the bulk of the ruling Lithuanian Peasant and Green Party (LPGU) group, as well as a few opposition conservatives and some of the members of the political group of the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania – Union of Christian Families. Among the people behind the bill is the LPGU-proposed Health Minister-Designate Aurelijus Veryga.

According to the explanatory note, the Assisted Insemination Law due to take force in January does not ensure a right for a child to know his parents and “does not ensure adequate embryo protection, thus allowing indefinite storage of frozen embryos and destruction of such embryos.”

They suggest that assisted insemination procedures should result in an exact number of embryos that can be implanted in a woman’s body during one procedure, however, not more than three.

The provision was already envisaged in the Assisted Insemination Law adopted by the parliament in June, supporters of the regulation then said they wanted to prevent destruction of embryos that are not implanted right away.

The president then vetoed the law, saying that the requirement to move all embryos into a woman’s body increases the risk of multiple gestation and limits the success of artificial insemination, which is a health hazard for both the woman and the child.

In September, the parliament upheld the presidential veto and allowed for an unlimited number of embryos, donation of sex cells and early embryo diagnostics.