Legal Regulation of MAR and Their Impact on the Child's Right to Origin Disclosure – A Slovenian Perspective
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46941/2025.1.7Keywords:
infertility, artificial reproductive technologies, gamete donation, right to know the origin, personal data, anonymity.Abstract
Having a child remains one of the fundamental values of life for individuals. However, many individuals and couples face difficulties in conceiving a child naturally. The rapid development of medicine—in particular, reproductive medicine—has brought hope and the realisation of the desire to have a child to individuals and couples who, in the past, would have remained childless. Artificial reproductive technologies have been developed, enabling the conception of a child who is genetically related to both parents, as well as a child whose conception involves a third party (e.g., a gamete donor, surrogate mother, or mitochondrial parent). The rapid development of reproductive medicine also requires appropriate legal regulations. In particular, issues relating to the right to disclosure of persons conceived with donated gametes and the related right to know the (genetic) origin have been raised in recent years. Many legislations, including that of Slovenia, still lean more toward maintaining donor anonymity, with possible exceptions (e.g., medical reasons), primarily regarding access to non-identifying information about the donors. While Slovenian legislation emphasises the right of the child to information on their origin, it limits this to essential medical information and does not include personal data about the donor. This paper discusses possible amendments to existing Slovenian legislation in light of defining a child's right to origin disclosure and balancing the interests of the other parties involved.
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