WUNRN
http://www.expatica.lu/lifestyle_leisure/lifestyle/Reproductive-tourism-thrives-in-Spain_12876.html#
Also Via ASTRA - Central
& Eastern European Women's Network
for Sexual &
Reproductive Health & Rights
Though no official statistics exist, experts
estimate that between 6,000 and 8,000 foreign women undergo assisted
reproduction treatments in
"In
2005 there were 42,000 in vitro fertilisation procedures carried out in
The SEF's figures are gleaned from data offered voluntarily by fertility
clinics nationwide. The total number could therefore be considerably higher,
particularly as
Frank and Lena, a couple from
Six years ago, they had their first child following an in vitro procedure in
Though they wanted to have more children they came up against a battery of
legal hurdles in
"In
At first the couple thought it seemed strange, but they were won over after
talking with representatives of the clinic in question, the Institut Marqués in
"We packed out bags and went to
At the time they didn't even tell their family. Their second child was born two
years ago, and they have since repeated the procedure. Today, they are
expecting twins.
Like many other clinics offering fertility services in Spain - particularly in
Madrid, Valencia, the Costa del Sol and Barcelona - the Institut Marqués saw
the potential for offering services to foreigners early on.
"We started in 2003, and back then we had about 10 [foreign clients] a
year. Now they account for 60 percent of our business," explains Raúl
Olivares, a representative of the
The Institut Marqués has four translators on its staff to deal with customers
from over 30 countries, though the vast majority come from
"Each
year around 4,000 women go abroad. More than a quarter go to
In
Most do so to escape restrictive national laws.
In
In
Making a living from giving life
Students make up a large percentage of Spanish embryo donors, a trend that is
particularly noticeable during the summer. "Many students use the money to
pay for university in September.
During the rest of the year there are around 15 donations per week, but in July
and August there are up to 22," says the Institut Marqués' Raúl Olivares.
In other countries, however, there have been cases of women trying to make a
living from donating embryos, leading to calls for a pan-European regulation of
the industry.
In
According to Denisa Priadkova, a Slovakian activist, there have been cases of
Ukrainian women travelling to