[Press Release] Alliance VITA Deplores French Parliament’s Focus on “ART for All”

In its report published on Thursday, October 25, the French Parliamentary Office for the Evaluation of Scientific and Technological Choices (“OPECST”) did not wish to comment on allowing Assisted Reproduction Techniques (ART) for single women and female couples, deleting the criterion of infertility. They declare this legal modification as being “driven by societal pressure” and not by scientific progress.

However, “OPECST” does warn that permitting broader access to ART will imply dealing with filiation issues, investment costs for additional staff and risks to result in a “shortage of gamete donors“. Nevertheless, Alliance VITA disagrees with “OPECST”s favorable opinion to create private gamete banks. The stage would be set with the door wide open for the procreation market place.

Tugdual Derville, Alliance VITA’s General Delegate states :

“It is understandable that “OPECST” does not decide on extending access to ART without the criteria of infertility and without a male partner, because it is a societal question and not an issue of progress which would normally be treated by bioethical laws. However in our opinion,  discussing only about ART for “all” is focusing on the tree that hides the forest of issues that need to be discussed. Indeed, the genuine bioethical topics for “OPECST” are underestimated, albeit, they are crucial.

Firstly, we deplore that some authorities recommend trivializing the human embryos’ use as an instrument, OPECST wants to allow research which destroys embryos up until the 14^th day. OPECST is more cautious for genetic and pre-conception testing. We lament its support for preimplantation detection of Down’s syndrome (Trisomy 21). Today these individuals are already the major victims targeted by this form of eugenics, and this Preimplantational Genetic Diagnosis would endorse stigmatizing and rejecting those with this chromosomal anomaly. “