Intentions and effects of the embryo protection regulation from the physician's viewpoint
Krebs, D.
Zeitschrift für Arztliche Fortbildung 87(10-11): 809-813
1993
ISSN/ISBN: 0044-2178 PMID: 8303920 Document Number: 333741
The fetal protection law entered into effect January 1, 1991, subsequent to legal guidelines largely consistent with the law having been issued by the federal physicians' chamber in 1985. The sections prohibiting selection of sex, cloning, and the formation of chimera and hybrids were accepted readily, however, the section on the misuse of reproductive techniques was debated. Within one menstrual cycle only three fetuses are permitted to be transferred to a woman or no more egg cells are permitted to be fertilized than are transferred. However, the success rate of fertilization is hard to predict, ranging from 0% to 80%. The chance of pregnancy is also increased when within a cycle another transfer is made. The transfer of 3 fetuses on the second day after harvesting the egg cells and another transfer of fertilized egg cells that had been further cultivated up to day five, produced pregnancy rates of over 40%. The legislators must have intended to avoid the occurrence of multiple pregnancies, as statistics indicate that after the transfer of three embryos the rate of twins is 20% and that of triplets is 3%. However, higher multiple pregnancies have been observed only in extremely rare cases. Another criticism concerned the restriction or outright ban on fetal research, although it was allowed that in certain cases preimplantation diagnosis can be helpful. Another contested point has to do with the beginning of protection and the inception of human life with the old definition about the merging of maternal and paternal hereditary genes. The majority of doctors accept the protection of human life and are against research on and with fetuses. On the one hand, human life is highly protected but, on the other hand, it is subjected to the wish of another human life. The law is restrictive and hostile to research, therefore it should be subjected to constant discussions for future development.