Expert opinions and recommendations

On this page you will find a compilation of expert opinions and recommendations, mainly relating to the legal regulations on reproductive medicine.

Reproductive medicine raises ethical, legal and social questions that are the subject of intense debate at national and international level. Below you will find a compilation of expert opinions and recommendations.you will find important contributions to the debate from other countries, and
international aspects

Under ‘Assisted reproductive medicine’, you will find expert opinions and guidelines relating to the legal regulations on reproductive medicine. The topics covered range from sperm and egg donation to genetic modification of embryos and the collection of data on couples and individuals who travel abroad for fertility procedures.

Under ‘PID’, you will find expert opinions on various aspects of pre-implantation diagnosis (PID), in other words, genetic testing of an embryo fertilised outside the body.

Under the tab ‘Links’, you will find important contributions to the debate from other countries, and international aspects.

Assisted reproductive medicine

The suitability of the concept of the well-being of the child in limiting assisted reproductive techniques (2023) (PDF, 498 kB, 21.08.2023)Expert opinion by emeritus Prof. Kurt Seelmann, Basel (German only) (commissioned by the FOPH)

Need for legislative action if egg donation is approved (2023) (PDF, 779 kB, 27.07.2023)Legal review by Prof. Berhard Rütsche, University of Lucerne (in German) (commissioned by the FOPH)

Medical risks of egg cell donation (2022) (PDF, 492 kB, 29.06.2022)Expert opinion by Dr Isabelle Bartram and Taleo Stüwe on behalf of biorespect (German only)

Transnational reproductive mobility from Switzerland - Abstract in English (2021) (PDF, 111 kB, 12.11.2021)

Transnational reproductive mobility from Switzerland (2021) (PDF, 744 kB, 12.11.2021)Report by Dr. Veronika Siegl, Dr. Christine Bigler, Dr. Tina Büchler, Laura Perler, Prof. Dr. Carolin Schurr, University of Bern (German only) (commissioned by the FOPH)

Rights to insurance benefits under compulsory health insurance (2020) (PDF, 574 kB, 12.11.2021)Expert opinion by emeritus Prof. Kurt Seelmann, Basel (German only) (commissioned by the FOPH)

Sperm Donation (2019) (PDF, 1 MB, 12.11.2021)Opinion No. 32/2019 of the Swiss National Advisory Commission on Biomedical Ethics (in German, also available in French)

Access to reproductive medicine for all? (2018) (PDF, 802 kB, 12.11.2021)Review by emeritus Prof. Kurt Seelmann, Basel (German only) (commissioned by the FOPH)

Social Egg Freezing - ethical reflections (2017) (PDF, 1 MB, 16.11.2021)Opinion No. 28/2017 of the Swiss National Advisory Commission on Biomedical Ethics

Gene editing in human embryos (2016) (PDF, 1 MB, 12.11.2021)Opinion No. 25/2016 of the Swiss National Advisory Commission on Biomedical Ethics (in German, also available in French or Italian)

Egg donation in Switzerland, lex lata and lex ferenda (2013, updated in 2014) (PDF, 556 kB, 17.06.2014)Legal review by Prof. Andrea Büchler, University of Zurich (in German, also available in French) (commissioned by the FOPH)

Egg Donation and IVF with Donated Eggs: Lessons to be Learned from other Countries (2014) (PDF, 1 MB, 05.09.2014)Sociological review by Nolwenn Bühler, Lic. phil., University of Zurich (commissioned by the FOPH)

Maximum age for assisted reproductive techniques in women (2014) (PDF, 108 kB, 10.09.2014)Brief medical review by Dr Dorothea Wunder, MD, PD, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) (German only) (commissioned by the FOPH)

Medically assisted reproduction: Ethical considerations and recommendations for the future (2013) (PDF, 282 kB, 30.11.2013)Opinion No. 22/2013 of the Swiss National Advisory Commission on Biomedical Ethics

Review of child welfare and the RMA (2012) (PDF, 2 MB, 21.01.2013)Sociological review by Dr Heidi Simoni, Marie Meierhofer Institute for Children, Zurich (German only) (commissioned by the FOPH)

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PID

Guidelines for the regulation of pre-implantation genetic diagnostics in the Reproductive Medicine Act (PGD guidelines; 2022) (PDF, 266 kB, 29.06.2022)Guidelines published by the Swiss National Advisory Commission on Biomedical Ethics (in German, also available in French or Italian)

What argues against the use of surplus information in pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), and where could a restrictive regulation be localised? (2021) (PDF, 337 kB, 19.01.2022)Expert opinion by Prof. em. Dr. Dr. h.c. Kurt Seelmann, Basel (German only) (commissioned by the FOPH)

SAMS recommendations on preimplantation genetic testing PGT (2020) (PDF, 1 MB, 12.11.2021)Medical-ethical guidelines of the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences

Societal implications of pre-implantation genetic diagnosis. An overview of the results of relevant empirical studies (2016) (PDF, 634 kB, 20.12.2016)Sociological review by Prof. Thomas Lemke and Jonas Rüppel, Dipl.-Soz., Dipl.-Psych., Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, November 2016 (German only) (commissioned by the FOPH)

Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis and discrimination: the relationship between the partial lifting of the ban on pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and the risk of social discrimination (2016) (PDF, 535 kB, 30.11.2016)Legal review by Prof. Kurt Pärli, University of Basel and Tarek Naguib, lic. iur., ZHAW School of Management and Law (German only) (commissioned by the FOPH)

Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis and eugenics, part two (2014) (PDF, 163 kB, 01.02.2014)Review by Prof. Kurt Seelmann and Dr Daniela Demko PD, LL.M. Eur., Universities of Lucerne and Basel (German only) (commissioned by the FOPH)

Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis and eugenics, part one (2013) (PDF, 633 kB, 01.01.2013)Review by Prof. Kurt Seelmann and Dr Daniela Demko PD, LL.M. Eur., Universities of Lucerne and Basel (German only) (im Auftrag des BAG)

Regulating PGD: an ethical perspective (2013) (PDF, 255 kB, 31.01.2013)Ethical review by Prof. Peter Schaber, Center for Ethics, University of Zurich (German only) (commissioned by the FOPH)

Should pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) be permissible under the same conditions as prenatal diagnosis? (2012) (PDF, 32 kB, 31.10.2012)Ethical review by Markus Zimmermann-Acklin, Th.D., PD, University of Fribourg (German only) (commissioned by the FOPH)

Compatibility of in vitro genetic and morphological investigations of embryos with Art. 119 para. 2 let. c of the Federal Constitution (2007) (PDF, 1 MB, 22.01.2008)Review by the Federal Office of Justice (German only) (commissioned by the FOPH)

Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis II – specific issues associated with statutory regulation and HLA typing (2007) (PDF, 181 kB, 30.11.2007)NCE opinion no. 14/2007 of the National Advisory Commission on Biomedical Ethics (German only) (commissioned by the FOPH)

Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis I (2005) (PDF, 279 kB, 01.12.2005)NCE opinion no. 10/2005 of the National Advisory Commission on Biomedical Ethics (German only) (commissioned by the FOPH)

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Links

Germany

Deutscher Ethikrat

• Eingriff in die menschliche Keimbahn (2019)
• Embryonenspende (2016)
• Präimplantationsdiagnostik (2011)
• Klonen zu Fortpflanzungszwecken (2004)

Leopoldina

• Neubewertung des Schutzes von In-vitro-Embryonen in Deutschland (2021)
• Fortpflanzungsmedizin in Deutschland – für eine zeitgemässe Gesetzgebung (2019)
• Chancen und Grenzen des genome editing (2015)
• Präimplantationsdiagnostik (PID) (2011)

France

Agence de la biomédecine

• Information sur la santé des personnes nées après une assistance médicale à la procréation (brochure d’information) (sans date)
• Rapport médicale et scientifique (2020)
• Rapport sur l'application de la loi de bioéthique (2018)
• Encadrement juridique international dans les différents domaines de la bioéthique Rapport sur l’application de la loi de bioéthique (2018)

UK

The Nuffield Council on Bioethics

• Egg freezing in the UK (2020)
• Genome editing and human reproduction: social and ethical issues (report 2018)
• Genome editing: an ethical review (2016)
• Donor conception: ethical aspects of information sharing (Report 2013)
• Novel techniques for the prevention of mitochondrial DNA disorder: an ethical review (2012)
• Germline therapies (Background paper 2011)
• Human embryo culture: Discussions concerning statutory time limit for maintaining human embryos in culture in light of some recent scientific developments (2017)
• Artificial Gametes (Background Paper 2015)

Council of Europe

• Fertility preservation: A guide for people facing an illness or life events that may affect their fertility (2021)
• Donation of Oocytes, a guide for women to support informed decisions (2018)

USA

The National Academy of Science, Engineering, Medicine

• Heritable Human Genome Editing (2020)
• Human Genome Editing: Science, Ethics, and Governance (2017)

Legislation

Further information

Last modification 21.08.2023