生殖医療法案 代理出産を巡る議論深めたい

The Yomiuri Shimbun 6:51 pm, May 12, 2014
In-depth deliberations imperative over legislation to allow surrogacy
生殖医療法案　代理出産を巡る議論深めたい

Legal arrangements have regrettably been lagging behind rapid advances in reproductive medicine, such as surrogacy. Both the ruling and opposition camps should engage in thorough deliberations in the Diet on this matter.
　代理出産など生殖医療の急速な進歩に法整備が追いついていない。与野党は、国会で議論を尽くしてもらいたい。

The Liberal Democratic Party’s project team concerning reproductive medicine has put together a bill regarding assisted reproductive technology. The bill, which the LDP team will submit to the current Diet session, allows, subject to certain conditions, such reproductive treatments as external fertilization, or pregnancy through eggs or sperm donated by third parties other than those of the married couple concerned, and surrogate motherhood.
　生殖医療に関する自民党のプロジェクトチームが、生殖補助医療法案をまとめた。夫婦以外の第三者から提供された卵子や精子による体外受精や、代理出産を限定的に容認するもので、今国会に提出する。

According to the bill, those who will be permitted to act as intermediaries for donors and recipients of eggs or sperm are to be limited to government-authorized nonprofit organizations. The procedure of in vitro fertilization will be carried out by medical institutions with the authorization of the health, labor and welfare minister. The proposed bill places a ban on the purchase and sale of sperm and eggs, with penalties for violators.
　法案によると、卵子や精子のあっせんは、国が指定した非営利団体が行う。実際の体外受精は、厚生労働相が認定した医療機関が実施する。卵子や精子の売買は罰則付きで禁止する。

As for surrogate motherhood, a major focus of attention in the reproductive medical assistance bill, such methods are to be acknowledged only if a woman is born without a womb or her womb has been removed through a surgical procedure because of disease.
　焦点の代理出産については、生まれつき子宮がないか、病気で子宮を摘出した女性に限って認めるとしている。

There have been endless cases in which couples head overseas to such countries as India with the aim of having a child through surrogacy. Such couples pay women with low incomes to become surrogate mothers. With a view to changing this state of affairs, the team of LDP lawmakers appears to have reached the conclusion that it is necessary to allow surrogate motherhood under certain conditions in this country.
　インドなどに渡航して代理出産に踏み切るケースが、後を絶たない。低所得の女性に、有償で代理母になってもらっている。こうした現状を変えるには、日本でも一定の制約下で代理出産を認める必要があると判断したのだろう。

2 mothers, 1 baby

However, there are still deep-seated objections among LDP legislators against surrogacy.
　しかし、自民党内には代理出産への反対論がなお根強い。

Their objections are based on such reasons as it being ethically problematic for married couples to have third parties shoulder the risks accompanying childbirth, since the lives of surrogate mothers could be endangered during delivery.
　出産は産婦の命にかかわる場合もあり、そうしたリスクを第三者に負わせるのは倫理的に問題だ、といった理由からだ。

In the event of a couple making use of surrogacy refusing to take in the newborn baby for such reasons as a possible disability in the child, or if a surrogate mother declines to hand over the baby, there will certainly be grave impediments to the growth of the child.
　依頼した夫婦が生まれた子供に障害があるとして引き取らなかったり、逆に代理母側が引き渡しを拒んだりすれば、子供の成育に重大な支障が生じよう。

There is another major problem with assisted reproductive technology: the relationship between a child and the parents can become complicated. Surrogacy is accompanied by the problem that there are two mothers: the “birth mother” who actually gives birth and the “genetic mother.”
　生殖医療には、親子関係が複雑になるという問題もある。代理出産の場合、生まれてきた子供には、出産した「産みの母」と、依頼者である「遺伝上の母」という２人の母親ができる。

In the proposed legislation, a stipulation will be provided in this respect that “the woman who performs the childbirth must be recognized as the baby’s mother.” Can it be easy, however, to clarify, by this stipulation alone, who should assume the responsibility to raise the child if trouble arises over surrogacy?
　この点に関しては、関連法案で「出産した女性を母親とする」と規定する。だが、これだけでは、子供を巡るトラブルが起きた際、誰が責任を持って育てるべきか明確にできないのではないか。

In addition, it is possible a person born through assisted reproductive technology could be shocked to learn after growing up that he or she was born through assisted reproduction involving a third party. What should be done if and when a child born through such reproductive methods wants to know his or her origin? The assisted reproductive technology bill has fallen short of clarifying how to deal with this kind of situation, even though many people are calling for the creation of a system for the disclosure of information on origins.
　生殖医療で生まれた子供が成長して事実を知り、ショックを受ける事態も予想される。子供が出自を知りたい時、どう対応すべきか。生殖補助医療法案は明確にしていないが、出自情報の開示制度を設けるべきだとの声もある。

Regarding reproductive medicine, the health ministry’s advisory council issued a set of proposals in 2003 calling for legislative arrangements concerned. In the more than 10 years since then, fertility treatments in which external fertilization using eggs or sperm from third parties have been carried out with no statutory arrangements at all.
　生殖医療を巡っては、２００３年に厚生労働省の審議会が法整備を求める報告書を公表した。その後１０年以上も、規制がない状態で第三者からの卵子、精子提供による体外受精が行われている。

The Diet should waste no time in crafting a pertinent system by referring to relevant examples in foreign countries where legal arrangements covering reproductive medicine have advanced.
　生殖医療の法整備が進む先進各国の例も参考に、国会は制度作りを急がねばならない。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, May 12, 2014)