Azernews.Az

A draft law allowing artificial insemination was discussed in the Azerbaijani parliament on Friday, but it did not pass the first reading following heated discussions.
The bill entitled, On Reproductive Health and Family Planning, stipulates that women, as surrogate mothers, after being inseminated by a designated father on the basis of an agreement reached and a subsequent birthing of a child, are required to give the newborn infants to their foster parents.
Musa Guliyev, deputy chairman of the parliamentary commission on social policy, argued that such a law would be a reasonable way to assist those married couples who are unable to have children due to infertility. In 2007, 410 children were born in Azerbaijan following artificial insemination. According to Guliyev, a total of 3,000 Azerbaijani couples have contacted various clinics regarding the procedure, however, only 25 per cent of them have been able to undergo the insemination due to its high cost.
The lawmaker went on to say that 2,000 Azerbaijani divorces occurred in 2007 due to infertility reasons.
A total of 972 families adopted children last year, while dozens more await a child.
Saying that sterility is a problem of global proportions, Guliyev said that 15% of families were affected by it worldwide.
In Azerbaijan, he said, the rate is 13%. "50% of such cases result from female infertility, while 30% are caused by men and the remaining 20% by both partners."
Guliyev also said the number of early abortions had risen in Azerbaijan in recent years. Last year alone 1,420 women aged 17-18 had an abortion. These women may face the threat of infertility in the future, he said.
Guliyev further explained that the reason for such a high rate of early abortions was a lack of proper family planning.
Ilham Mammadov, a member of parliament who is a medical doctor by occupation, also supported passing the law on artificial insemination, saying it would serve to improve the health of citizens.
"There is a great need for this in the country…Today, a number of people infected with AIDS and other hereditary diseases are unable to have children. To solve the problem, there is an opportunity to use reproductive technology."
The lawmaker added that every woman of legal age is allowed to use artificial insemination or other options to become pregnant. This right, he said, is guaranteed in a number of laws already passed in the country.
According to Mammadov, some Azerbaijani couples travel abroad to take advantage of artificial insemination, incurring considerable expenses.
Some lawmakers opposed the bill, saying the measure runs counter to national and moral values, as well as ethics and religious customs.
MP Jale Aliyeva said some of its provisions are new for Azerbaijan and would not be accepted by the public. "As a result of artificial insemination, children from unknown parents will be born, which will cause problems in the future."
Aliyeva emphasized that in the United States, for example, children who were conceived using artificial insemination are aged up to 25 years and many of them are looking for their biological parents. An organization uniting these people has even been set up in the US, and this problem may emerge in Azerbaijan in the future, as well.
Aliyeva also claimed that such children run a high risk of contracting in-born diseases. For instance, 44 of the children conceived through artificial insemination in Russia in 2007 were born with a variety of illnesses.
Aliyeva cited another consequence of artificial insemination. "For example, in one of the foreign countries, a man acted as a donor 42 times a year. The same thing may happen here. We have to take into account that Azerbaijan is a small country. A boy and a girl born from the same donor may come across each other in life and start a family. This could cause serious consequences," Aliyeva warned.
MP Guler Ahmadova said laws on artificial insemination have not been passed in many countries, though a blind eye is being turned to artificial insemination in those countries.
According to Ahmadova, countries that actually adopt the law impose certain restrictions on the use of reproductive technologies. For instance, using artificial insemination for commercial purposes is prohibited. Moreover, being employed in surrogate motherhood as a profession should be banned, and a woman should be allowed to be a surrogate mother only once. Furthermore, if a child is born sick, his future support should be regulated by the law, while any possible differences between the surrogate mother and the biological parents are to be resolved by legal means.
Wrapping up the debate, Parliament Speaker Ogtay Asadov said the discussions were very contradictory, therefore the issue should be made available for public discussion. Considering this, Asadov suggested that deliberations on the bill be put off until the spring session of the Milli Majlis. Until then, the draft law will be reviewed and improved in the standing parliamentary commissions on legal policy and state-building, and on human rights, and again be submitted to the legislature for consideration.
The speaker`s suggestion was accepted by the MPs.

Sheikh opposes bill
The reproductive health bill is "unfairness and a major war against Azerbaijan", chairman of the Caucasus Clerical Office (CCO), Sheikhulislam Allahshukur Pashazada told a meeting of the Clergy Council on Tuesday.
The Sheikh said the CCO was mainly against artificial insemination reflected in the draft law. "Putting the issue on discussion in the Milli Majlis contradicts the Islamic religion and the Muslim faith."
Pashazada said the CCO, jointly with the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations, would forward an official letter to parliament in this regard.
According to him, many lack knowledge on what is behind applying the practice in the country. "Artificial insemination may cause other nations and people of other creeds taking hold in Azerbaijan, which runs counter to the Azerbaijani state, national and moral values."