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Italy Faces Strict Embryo Rules ... Legislation Under Debate Would Be Terrible For Italian Research, Scientists Say By Rossella Lorenzi December 4, 2003, 23:15 Calling Italy the “Wild West of assisted reproduction,” where menopausal women give birth and embryo tourism and human cloning plans abound, Italian legislators from different parts of the political spectrum have united in pushing for strict regulations aimed to govern the field of reproductive technology. On Wednesday (December 3), during the debate for the final approval of a controversial law on assisted fertility, the Senate gave support for some rules that have gained worldwide condemnation by scientists. More than 500 amendments were presented during Wednesday's session, promising to make the debate long and heated. Opposition forces hope to have at least one amendment approved, so that the law will have to go back to the parliament for a third discussion. On the first day of the debate, senators confirmed the first of 18 articles approved by the lower house of the Italian Parliament last June, focusing on the rights of the conceived and limiting access to assisted reproduction to sterile couples. An amendment that broadened the possibility of using assisted reproduction for preventing genetically transmitted diseases was rejected. The new law could call into question the country's 1978 abortion law and pave the way for a long list of bioethical bans on any experimentation involving embryos. This includes a prohibition of any testing of embryos for research and experimental purposes, freezing embryos, and embryo suppression. “Scientific research will be cut off in Italy. This law will prevent scientists from working on some the main trends in fertility research: embryos as sources of stem cells and genetic investigations to prevent diseases,” Ermanno Greco, of the Center for Reproductive Medicine of Rome's European Hospital, told The Scientist. Other controversial articles include banning donor insemination and denying access to artificial procreation techniques to single women. The proposed law also specifies that no more than three cells may be fertilized in vitro and that they all must be transferred into the womb simultaneously. “This law seems not to take into consideration important scientific data. Multiple pregnancies will increase in young women,” Greco said. Called “medieval” by women parliamentarians of many moderate political shades, the legislation caused concern among several scientists when it was approved by the lower house. Nobel Laureate Rita Levi Montalcini and oncologist and former health minister Umberto Veronesi, wrote an open letter in favor of embryo research; the International Federation of Fertility Societies deplored the passing of a law; and the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology condemned it as “disastrous.” Links for this article Italian Senate http://www.parlamento.it/senato.htm Rita Levi Motalcini http://www.nobel.se/medicine/laureates/1986/index.html International Federation of Fertility Societies http://www.iffs2004.com/iffs/default.htm European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology http://www.eshre.com SOURCE: The Scientist / BioMed Central News http://www.biomedcentral.com/news/20031205/06 * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn