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Egg cell donation approved by Swiss parliament

Egg cells extracted in laboratory
Moves to introduce egg cell donations in Switzerland could yet be challenged by referendum. © Keystone / Gaetan Bally

Both chambers of parliament have cleared the way for infertile women to receive egg cell donations in Switzerland.

On Tuesday, the Senate voted through a motion to enable the fertility treatment, following a similar vote by the House of Representatives in March.

Swiss law currently allows for sperm donations but not of egg cells, forcing women to take an estimated 500 trips per year to countries such as Spain to receive such treatment. The majority of parliamentarians have voted to even up options for men and women.

The government is now obliged to draw up a legal basis to make egg cell donations possible in Switzerland, even though cabinet ministers had opposed a such move at this time.

Interior Minister Alain Berset had argued that it would be better to wait for the results of an evaluation of the Reproductive Medicines Act. The first findings of this review are expected next year.

Parliament’s approval of egg cell donations is unlikely to be the final word on the matter as any changes to the law could be challenged by referendum.

This could delay the introduction of egg cell donations by several years, reports Swiss public broadcaster SRF.

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