PRESS CONFERENCE
Objections to the Assisted Reproductive Medicine Bill
Minato Ayahara, Co-Representative of Famiiro Network for Unconventional Kinship in Japan
Yudai Kono, Kinoe Legal Lawoffice, Lawyer
Chiaki Shirai, Staff of Famiiro Network for Unconventional Kinship in Japan, Shizuoka University
15:00-16:00 Wednesday, February 26, 2025
Language: The speech and Q & A will be in English or Japanese with English interpretation.
A Specified Assisted Reproductive Medicine Bill was introduced in Japan's House of Councillors on February 5 that would limit the use of fertility treatments involving third parties, such as the use of donated sperm and eggs, to married couples. It would also completely outlaw surrogacy, in which a fertilized egg is implanted in a third-party woman to carry to term. Under the proposed legislation, same-sex couples, single parents, and those in common-law marriages would be barred from using donor assisted reproduction even if the procedures are done overseas. Violators would face criminal penalties. The bill would also deny children resulting from third-party assisted reproduction access to donor information until they turn 18.
Opponents of the bill believe it violates rights guaranteed by Japan's constitution and would not be in the best interests of affected children. Two speakers affiliated with the Famiiro Network for Unconventional Kinship (https://famiiro-network.org/), a support group for those who have formed families through third-party reproductive medicine, will explain the bill’s potential repercussions and present perspectives from affected individuals, medical experts, and legal scholars. Minato Ayahara is a lawyer and mother raising a child conceived through egg donation. Chiaki Shirai is a sociologist specializing in reproductive and family issues at Shizuoka University.
How to attend:
Please register at front@fccj.or.jp with your name, the name of your media outlet, and FCCJ membership number. Doors open 15 minutes before the event. Please sign in and giving your name and contact details at the reception.
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Professional Activities Committee