
18 Sep Portugal: the end of donors’ anonymity
By Reproclinic Editorial Committee
The Constitutional Court of Portugal, which in 2009 defended the anonymity of gamete donors, now demands their identification.
The cause must be sought in the recent law on surrogacy, which was appealed to the Constitutional Court. Although the law is saved, the Court tombs six fundamental articles, referred to the anonymity of the donors and to the “violation of the right to the identity of the person” with retroactive effects until the year 2006.
What are the consequences of the end of donor anonymity in Portugal?
Due to the decision of the Constitutional Court, a decrease in donations in Portugal of around 40% is foreseen, if we are guided by what has happened in other countries. In addition, longer waiting times and more expensive treatments in the country.
The effects of this sentence affect both donors and patients. Both those who already have embryos cryopreserved from gametes from anonymous donors, and those who need access to these treatments from now.
What should couples who want to perform a new ovum donation treatment in Portugal know?
From this moment, donors will be informed to start a cycle in Portugal that children born from their gametes will have the right to request their personal data from breeding centers. Thus, if the future parents wish to carry out an anonymous donation cycle, the treatment must take place in another country that guarantees anonymity, as is the case in Spain.
It must be taken into account that the CNMPA (National Council for Medically Assisted Procreation) has recommended to the centers that, for the time being, they should suspend the treatments with anonymous donors.
What should couples with frozen embryos from an egg donation cycle in Portugal know?
Couples who have frozen embryos performed through an egg donation cycle in Portugal before the constitutional sentence and want to transfer them, may do so if they have the express consent of the donor that accepts to donate their material in a non-anonymous manner.
We must bear in mind that the donors accepted to be included in the donation program under the condition that the donation was anonymous and now the rules have changed.
What happens if the donor is unlocatable or does not accept to donate openly?
If the reproduction center fails to contact the donor, or the donor refuses to sign the consent, the embryos can not be used, since the use of embryos from anonymous donors is now prohibited in Portugal.
Reproclinic is already helping several Portuguese couples to carry out their cycles guaranteeing the anonymity of the donors. The extensive experience in international treatments of our team is key when managing procedures remotely minimizing travel, and our Patient Care department also collaborates with the management of travel (flights, accommodation, etc.)
In summary: those patients who wish to cycle with anonymous donors or those who are not willing to suffer the long waiting time that is expected for non-anonymous donation cycles, will have no choice but to travel outside of Portugal to access these treatments anonymously and immediately.
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Privacy policy
Before providing the information on this form, and pursuant to RGPD 2016/679, you must read and agree with these conditions on the protection of personal data, accepting and consenting to the processing of your data by Reproclinic sl (Reproclinic) using the methods and for the purposes indicated in this text, in the Data Protection Statement, Privacy Policy, and in the Legal Notice.
About your data
We inform you that your data will be included in a file managed by Reproclinic sl (Reproclinic) in order to reply to your request and send you the information you requested, as well as to send you commercial communications electronically on services that may be of interest to you..
By filling out this application form, you grant your unequivocal consent to Reproclinic sl (Reproclinic), which shall provide us with the legal basis for processing your personal information for the purposes listed in the previous paragraph.
Your information may be transferred to Prolonga Fertilidad sl (Fertty) or to companies with which it has business ties.
You may exercise your rights to Access, Rectify, Delete, Oppose the processing of, Erase, Limit and Portability of your data by writing to Reproclinic C / Ausiàs Marc 25, 08010 Barcelona (lopd@reproclinic.com).
Unless you inform us otherwise, we will assume that your details have not been modified, that you agree to notify us of any change thereto, and that we have your consent to process said details for the aforementioned purposes.