Sara Dalla Costa participates as speaker at the ESHRE campus on cryopreserved embryos in Alicante

Instituto Bernabeu reinforces its commitment to cutting-edge medicine and scientific advances in reproductive medicine with the participation of Sara Dalla Costa as a speaker at the campus organised by the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE).

Under the title ‘From Science to Ethics: Exploring Cryopreserved Embryos’, this two-day event, held in Alicante, addressed global controversies and challenges in the management of cryopreserved embryos. Throughout the sessions, several experts from different countries addressed topics such as legal constraints, patient perspectives and embryo disposition practices. Ethical debates on the status of the embryo, its application in assisted reproductive techniques and the latest innovations such as synthetic embryos and blastoids were also explored.

Sara Dalla Costa, a lawyer specialising in biolaw and coordinator of Instituto Bernabeu Venice, participated as a speaker, sharing her knowledge on the management of cryopreserved embryos in Europe. In her presentation, ‘The fate of supernumerary cryopreserved embryos’, she highlighted how regulations vary significantly between countries, something that can affect clinical and ethical decisions. For example, while in Spain and France the embryo is considered an entity subject to legal regulation, in Germany and Italy its legal considerations are similar to those of a person, with strong restrictions on its destruction, research and donation. The Italian case is paradigmatic: the law forces the indefinite conservation of non-viable embryos, generating ethical, logistical and economic problems. On the other hand, the UK adopts a pragmatic approach, avoiding ontological definitions and focusing on practical regulation.

As Dalla Costa highlighted during her presentation, the fragmentation of European regulations generates inequalities and uncertainty for patients and clinics, highlighting the urgent need for legislative harmonisation and a review of the embryo’s legal categories, balancing individual rights and scientific advances.

Instituto Bernabeu was also represented by Dr Jaime Guerrero and Dr Juan Carlos Castillo, who attended the ESHRE campus in Alicante as listeners. Their presence underlines the Group’s commitment to continuing education and excellence in the field of reproductive medicine.