Criteria for selecting a surrogate mother.

OBJECTIVE: Provide background to the debate on the criteria for selecting a surrogate mother, if the procedure should be regulated in the Czech Republic. DESIGN: Qualitative content analysis of documents. SETTING: Faculty of Health and Social Studies, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice; AK Prudil et al., Brno. METHODS: Several sources of data have been used: 1. Legal documents of several European countries where surrogate motherhood is regulated by law: UK, NL, Greece, Portugal. 2. The websites of agencies that mediate surrogate motherhood; analysed number: 23. RESULTS: The most frequently mentioned criterion for selection a surrogate mother was her parental status and gynecological history. Further, the requirements related to age, state of health (exclusion of psychiatric diagnosis), lifestyle. Less often, BMI requirements, citizenship, relationship with the applicant, marital status, impeccability, financial stability, number of procedures underwent. In addition, difficult-to-assess features, such as willingness to process or family support, are required. CONCLUSION: The criteria formulated by the SAR ČGPS ČLS are highly qualified, taking into account the complexity of the procedure. We recommend to reconsider the upper age limit and the number of procedures that an adept can pass (we recommend one). The psychologist should be qualified in psychodiagnostics. We recommend starting negotiations with professional psychological societies about his required qualifications. We also recommend accepting this procedure only for couples residing in the Czech Republic.

Legislation of direct-to-consumer genetic testing in Europe: a fragmented regulatory landscape.

Despite the increasing availability of direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing, it is currently unclear how such services are regulated in Europe, due to the lack of EU or national legislation specifically addressing this issue. In this article, we provide an overview of laws that could potentially impact the regulation of DTC genetic testing in 26 European countries, namely Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Emphasis is placed on provisions relating to medical supervision, genetic counselling and informed consent. Our results indicate that currently there is a wide spectrum of laws regarding genetic testing in Europe. There are countries (e.g. France and Germany) which essentially ban DTC genetic testing, while in others (e.g. Luxembourg and Poland) DTC genetic testing may only be restricted by general laws, usually regarding health care services and patients' rights.

[Surrogate maternity--literature review and practice]. / Surogátní materství--literární názory a praxe.

OBJECTIVE: This review summarizes opinions on surrogacy including internatinal and governmental organizations attitudes, as well as some religious concerns. DESIGN: Literature review. SETTING: Reprofit International, Brno, Reproductive medicine and gynecology centre, Zlin, Department of obstetrics and gynecology, Palacky University, Olomouc. BACKGROUND: The developments in the field of assissted reproduction during the last twenty years have attracted unexpected public interest in some of its ethical and moral aspects. It is very difficult to find a uniform attitude to ethical concerns of assisted conception in plural society. Surrogate mother is defined as a woman who bears and relinquishes a child for another person. CONCLUSION: The european congress on human reproduction in Barcelona 2008 adopted following résumé on surrogacy: Public opinion has shifted to a position where surrogacy is recognized as an appropriate response to infertility in some circumstances and it is to be expected that this approach will be further strenghtened with stress on positive aspects of familiar life.

[The legal aspects of manipulation of dead body in the department of legal medicine and pathology]. / Právní aspekty zacházení s telem zemrelého na soudne-lékarských a patologicko-anatomických pracovistích.

Recent updates (novelizations) of Czech medical laws are very strict with regards to manipulation with corpses. The authors refer to several instances where healthcare personnel come to contact with corpses and state the relevant regulations (laws) including applicable penalties in case they are not adhered to.

[Legal and ethical problems in assisted reproduction--case report]. / Právní a etické problémy asistované reprodukce--kazuistika.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study is to evaluate legal and ethical aspects of the assisted reproduction in the Czech Republic. These aspects are described in the context of the concrete case. DESIGN: Case report. SETTING: Department of Social Medicine, Medical and Health Care Administration Faculty of the Masaryk University, Brno and Centre of the Reproductive Medicine Zlín. SUBJECT AND METHOD: The description of the concrete case that happened in the Czech Republic. A widow asked for the artificial insemination using the sperm of her deceased husband. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that there is absolutely insufficient legal regulation of the assisted reproduction techniques, it does not respond to the development of the medical knowledge and it responds insufficiently to the ethical dilemmas concerning the assisted reproduction.