BUJUMBURA November 9th (ABP) – The draft ordinance setting the rules and procedures relating to medically assisted procreation in humans in Burundi was among the items on the agenda of the Cabinet meeting of November 04, 2022.
According to the press release from the General Secretariat of the State, the Government has noted that infertility is becoming a real public health problem if nothing is done immediately.
That public health problem is compounded by social stigma that has serious effects on the mental and social well-being of couples.
To deal with that problem and given the development of technologies used in medically assisted procreation, it is necessary to set up fertility centers and regulations governing practices related to medically assisted reproduction, hence the proposal of this draft ordinance.
The Cabinet meeting had analyzed this file in the form of a bill and had returned it with some observations. Among other things, the Council found that the matter is not within the scope of the law. Given the importance of the area to be regulated, which affects human life, the project must be submitted to the Ethics Committee for an opinion. It is also necessary to carry out a survey to gather the opinion of the people on that system of procreation.