Law on infertility treatment sent for urgent procedure

The FBiH Government, at today's session, determined the Bill on infertility treatment by medically assisted reproduction, which regulates the conditions and manner of infertility treatment, as well as other issues important for the application of these procedures. The provisions of this law are applied accordingly to the regulations on healthcare, health insurance, and patient rights, obligations, and responsibilities, according to the statement, reports the Patria News Agency (NAP).

Treatment, in the sense of the Law, is the elimination of infertility or reduced fertility using biomedical advancements, after determining that pregnancy cannot be achieved by other methods of treatment. Also, treatment includes the collection and storage of reproductive tissues and gametes of men and women in cases where, according to the knowledge and experience of medical science, there is a risk of infertility.

The procedures prescribed by this law are carried out to achieve conception, pregnancy, and the birth of a healthy child in accordance with the requirements of modern biomedical science and experience, while protecting the health of the woman, reducing risks to treatment, and ensuring the well-being of offspring. These procedures are carried out only when previous infertility treatment has been unsuccessful and hopeless, and when the transmission of a serious hereditary disease to the child can be prevented in this way.

In the application of medically assisted reproduction procedures, the dignity and privacy of individuals participating in the medically assisted reproduction procedure are protected. Any form of discrimination based on race, color, sex, language, religion or belief, political or other opinion, national or social origin is prohibited when performing actions based on this law and regulations enacted pursuant to this law.

All data related to the medically assisted reproduction procedure, especially personal data about the woman, her spouse or partner, and the child conceived through medically assisted reproduction, constitute professional secrecy. All legal and natural persons participating in the medically assisted reproduction procedure are obliged to ensure the protection and security of personal data in the aforementioned procedures, in accordance with the regulations on personal data protection.

The system for applying medically assisted reproduction procedures in the Federation of BiH includes authorized healthcare institutions that meet the conditions stipulated by the Law and regulations, and have a work permit issued by the authorized minister, as well as the Commission for the application of medically assisted reproduction procedures, formed by the federal minister of health as a professional and advisory body within the Federal Ministry of Health.

The proposal of this law was sent for urgent parliamentary procedure today, according to the statement, reports NAP.