Is the Battle Over? The New Lithuanian Law on Assisted Reproduction

Abstract

The Law on Assisted Reproduction was adopted by the Parliament of Lithuania (Parliament) on 14 September 2016. This law entered into force on the 1 January 2017 and replaced the Order of the Ministry of Health of 1999 which regulated assisted reproductive technologies (ART) until then. After the adoption of the new Civil Code in 2000, Parliament recommended that the Government prepare a draft law on ART by 2002. The first “liberal” draft was presented to Parliament in 2004. Its opponents also prepared a “conservative” draft. Both drafts were rejected. Only in 2010, a new draft was prepared but the adoption of this law was delayed until 2016. This article could be one of the first to present an overview and analysis of the history of legal regulation of ART in Lithuania; it also describes the main features of the new law, reveals its shortcomings and gaps, and explains the main reasons for such a long legislative process in this area.