In the current scenario, the complex interplay between law and technology is a matter of growing concern both at the national and international level. This study deals particularly with surrogate motherhood as an important assisted reproductive technique since a comprehensive legal framework is to a large extent still lacking, thus leading to the breach of fundamental human rights of all the stakeholders involved. The aim of this study is to find a human rights-based solution to the problem, giving the utmost importance to the rights of surrogate born children, clearly being part of the most vulnerable group involved. In order to find a proper legal solution, a set of two international “initiatives” on surrogacy undertaken by two different human rights institutions have been analysed, the first one is undertaken by the Council of Europe in 2016 and the second one by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2018. Together with the publicly accessible materials by the above-mentioned institutions, the analysis was carried out with the help of additional materials provided on this sensitive topic by the Head of the Secretariat of the Council of Europe Tanja Kleinsorge and Sophie Boucquey, assistant to the Rapporteur on surrogacy topic & MP Council of Europe Petra De Sutter. Following debates in the Parliamentary Assembly, the Council of Europe rejected the proposed recommendation on surrogacy, aimed at prohibiting commercial surrogacy, while maintaining its altruistic model and adopting guidelines devoted to the protection of children’s rights. This research explores a variety of possible reasons for failure coming to the conclusion that it would not be useful to reopen the Council of Europe’s discussion on surrogacy “today”, since the discordance among the states are so broad that they could not be overstepped in a such a short period of time and a new discussion would not lead to the better solution. Turning to the UN level, specific attention is devoted to the issues on the sale of children in the context of surrogacy. According to the research findings, a normative solution of the problem striking a balance between the different interests at stake is very difficult to achieve, yet the “best interests of the child” must be a primary consideration: based on this assumption, a legal regulation of surrogacy is needed, the aim being not to promote surrogacy, but to ensure an effective protection to the rights of children born as a result of surrogacy arrangements who could not suffer of being rejected by the society just because of the circumstances of their birth which they could neither choose nor change at all. To this goal, providing that certain conditions are met, the suggestion has been made to encourage the adoption of a human rights-based regulation of the topic, in line with a children’s rights approach.
Nello scenario attuale, la complessa interazione tra legge e tecnologia è questione di crescente preoccupazione, sia a livello nazionale che internazionale. Questo studio si occupa in particolare della maternità surrogata quale importante tecnica riproduttiva rispetto alla quale manca una cornice normativa adeguata, portando alla violazione di diritti umani di tutte le parti coinvolte. Lo scopo di questo studio è di trovare una soluzione nel rispetto di diritti umani, attribuendo rilevanza primaria ai diritti dei minori nati dalla pratica di maternità surrogata, che, tra i diversi soggetti coinvolti nella fattispecie, risultano in tutta evidenza il gruppo più vulnerabile. Per trovare una soluzione adeguata, sono state analizzate le due “iniziative” internazionali sulla maternità surrogata, intraprese da due istituzioni aventi come lo scopo la protezione di diritti umani, la prima intrapresa dal Consiglio d’Europa nel 2016 e la seconda dal Consiglio per i diritti umani delle Nazioni Unite nel 2018. L’analisi è condotta basandosi non solamente sui materiali pubblicamente accessibili, ma soprattutto con l’aiuto di documentazione aggiuntiva fornitami personalmente su questo delicato argomento dal Capo del Segretariato del Consiglio d'Europa, Tanja Kleinsorge, e da Sophie Boucquey, assistente del Relatore sul tema della maternità surrogata, Petra De Sutter,. In seguito al dibattito in seno dell’Assemblea Parlamentare, il Consiglio d’Europa ha respinto la proposta di raccomandazione sulla maternità surrogata, volta a proibire la surroga di maternità commerciale, pur mantenendo il suo modello altruistico e adottando le linee guida dedicate alla protezione dei diritti dei minori. Questa ricerca individua una serie di possibili ragioni di fallimento arrivando alla conclusione che la riapertura della discussione nel Consiglio d’Europa “oggi” non sarebbe utile, per il fatto che le discordanze tra gli Stati sono così marcate da non poter essere superate in un così breve periodo di tempo e una nuova discussione non porterebbe ad alcun avanzamento Passando al livello delle Nazioni Unite, un'attenzione specifica è riservata alle questioni relative al traffico di minori nel contesto della maternità surrogata. Lo studio ha dimostrato quanto sia arduo giungere ad una soluzione del problema idonea a stabilire un punto di equilibrio tra i diritti e gli interessi di tutte le parti coinvolte, tuttavia il “superiore interesse del minore” deve sempre essere di considerazione primaria. Sulla base di questa premessa, risulta assolutamente necessaria una regolamentazione giuridica che abbia per finalità non già quella di promuovere la pratica della maternità surrogata, ma quella di garantire un’efficace protezione dei minori nati da questa pratica, i quali non devono soffrire ed essere rigettati dalla società a motivo delle circostanze della loro nascita, che essi non hanno potuto scegliere né possono in alcun modo cambiare. A tal fine, nelle conclusioni di questo scritto, si propone una regolamentazione nel rispetto di diritti umani basata su particolari condizioni, mirata alla protezione dei minori.
Towards an International Regulation of Surrogacy?
KAROBKINA, NIKA
2018/2019
Abstract
In the current scenario, the complex interplay between law and technology is a matter of growing concern both at the national and international level. This study deals particularly with surrogate motherhood as an important assisted reproductive technique since a comprehensive legal framework is to a large extent still lacking, thus leading to the breach of fundamental human rights of all the stakeholders involved. The aim of this study is to find a human rights-based solution to the problem, giving the utmost importance to the rights of surrogate born children, clearly being part of the most vulnerable group involved. In order to find a proper legal solution, a set of two international “initiatives” on surrogacy undertaken by two different human rights institutions have been analysed, the first one is undertaken by the Council of Europe in 2016 and the second one by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2018. Together with the publicly accessible materials by the above-mentioned institutions, the analysis was carried out with the help of additional materials provided on this sensitive topic by the Head of the Secretariat of the Council of Europe Tanja Kleinsorge and Sophie Boucquey, assistant to the Rapporteur on surrogacy topic & MP Council of Europe Petra De Sutter. Following debates in the Parliamentary Assembly, the Council of Europe rejected the proposed recommendation on surrogacy, aimed at prohibiting commercial surrogacy, while maintaining its altruistic model and adopting guidelines devoted to the protection of children’s rights. This research explores a variety of possible reasons for failure coming to the conclusion that it would not be useful to reopen the Council of Europe’s discussion on surrogacy “today”, since the discordance among the states are so broad that they could not be overstepped in a such a short period of time and a new discussion would not lead to the better solution. Turning to the UN level, specific attention is devoted to the issues on the sale of children in the context of surrogacy. According to the research findings, a normative solution of the problem striking a balance between the different interests at stake is very difficult to achieve, yet the “best interests of the child” must be a primary consideration: based on this assumption, a legal regulation of surrogacy is needed, the aim being not to promote surrogacy, but to ensure an effective protection to the rights of children born as a result of surrogacy arrangements who could not suffer of being rejected by the society just because of the circumstances of their birth which they could neither choose nor change at all. To this goal, providing that certain conditions are met, the suggestion has been made to encourage the adoption of a human rights-based regulation of the topic, in line with a children’s rights approach.È consentito all'utente scaricare e condividere i documenti disponibili a testo pieno in UNITESI UNIPV nel rispetto della licenza Creative Commons del tipo CC BY NC ND.
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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14239/7809