Consent to the Use of Artificial Reproduction and its Legal Significance for Establishing the Origin of the Child

Abstract

The paper is devoted to the study of problems related to the establishment of the origin of children born as a result of artificial fertilization in the comparative legal aspect. It is noted that the principles laid down as the basis of the rules governing the order of the child’s origin vary significantly depending on whether it is a matter of natural or artificial reproduction. In the case of assisted reproductive technologies (ART), the value of blood (genetic, biological) kinship is leveled, and its substituted by the will of the person to acquire parental rights and obligations with regard to the child. A person’s will to become a child’s parent is expressed before the child is born in a written permission to use the ART. It is noted that the absence of normative rules regulating the order of expression of consent and conditions of its validity is an obvious gap in the legal regulation of the ART application. It is proposed to treat consent as informed consent if the person applying for the use of ART is provided not only medical but also legal information concerning the legal status of the person participating in the ART program and the legal implications of such participation. The author investigates requirements applied to mutual consent and voluntary consent, its substantive and revocable nature, as well as inadmissibility of representation when expressing the will to use the ART. The author argues that the will to acquire the status of a parent should be expressed in a separate document describing the content of the will and verified by the notary. In order to ensure the best interests of the child in parental care, it is proposed to impose statutory restrictions on the free will to apply the ART.