Socio-economical, legal and ethical issues raised by infertility and assisted reproductive techniques in Romania

Abstract

Infertility is defined as the inability of a couple to conceive a child after 12 months of regular and unprotected sexual intercourse or after 6 months, in case of women who are over 35 years. Currently, assisted human reproductive techniques (ART) can help infertility couples worldwide and promise unquestionable benefits to humanity. The study proposes an assessment of problems that couples with fertility issues are facing in Romania using a special questionnaire composed of 8 segments and 65 items. The questionnaire was completed by 860 women who benefited from ART in different fertility clinics nationwide. By analyzing the results, we identifed the socio-economical and legal concerns that occured when couples approached these methods. They all represent direct challenges for society in order to review how these methods are applied. Moreover, the presented results may pursue decision makers to modify the existing laws in order to adapt them to the challenges that have arisen.