Sara Dalla Costa analyses in Bilbao the challenges of Italian legislation in the field of assisted reproduction.

Sara Dalla Costa, specialist in health law at Instituto Bernabeu, participated in the 30^th International Congress on Law and Human Genome held in Bilbao from 27 to 29 May.

In her talk, entitled ‘20 years of Law 40/2004 in Italy: Emerging challenges and unsolved issues in assisted reproduction’, Dalla analysed Italian legislation on assisted reproduction, which is much more restrictive than the Spanish one. ‘This law has been an important step forward in the regulation of assisted reproduction in Italy, but there are still many challenges to be solved,’ she said.

Among these challenges, the expert highlighted the need to update the law in order to adapt it to new scientific and technological advances, as well as the need to guarantee access to assisted reproduction to all those who require it, regardless of their sexual orientation or marital status.

Following her participation in the Bilbao Congress, Dalla took part in a seminar on the legal framework of assisted reproduction held in San Sebastian. In her speech, she explained that ‘the legal framework for assisted reproduction is complex and varies from one country to another’. The expert pointed out that ‘it is important for people who are considering undergoing assisted reproduction treatment to be aware of the current legislation in their country so they are able to make an informed decision’.