Family: Initiative to legalize egg donation

An initiative to legalize egg donation is underway in the Bundestag. FDP legal expert Katrin Helling-Plahr is seeking support to develop a cross-party motion for a legal regulation. “Couples who remain childless involuntarily are often unable to receive help in Germany,” she explains in an email that the German Press Agency has received. Some could be helped by a “responsibly designed legalization of egg donation.” Given the ethical dimensions, a cross-party debate is the right way to achieve this.

The background to this is recommendations presented by a commission in April, according to which egg donations could be made possible under certain conditions. For example, the trade in eggs should remain prohibited. The child’s right to know its parentage must be protected. The Embryo Protection Act currently prohibits women from receiving artificially fertilized eggs from other women.

FDP politician: “Create an appropriate legal framework”

Helling-Plahr writes in her email: “We need to create an appropriate legal framework so that donors and recipients are adequately informed and receive medical care.” A joint motion by a group of MPs would provide the opportunity “to overturn an outdated ban, to enable couples to have children and at the same time meet high ethical standards.” The FDP politician is also planning a meeting.

Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP) had made it clear that he sees good chances for an initiative to legalize it before the 2025 federal election. From his personal point of view, there are “good reasons for lifting the categorical ban on egg donation in Germany,” Buschmann told dpa.