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Submitted: January 11, 2000
Accepted: February 11, 2000
BARI, ITALY
INTRODUCTION
In Italy, 256 centers work on infertility problems: 70% in private practice and 30% in public hospitals. Among public health institutes, 52.6% are in northern Italy, 19.2% in central Italy, and 28.2% in southern Italy. With regard to private centers, 50.8% are in the South, while 25.7% and 23.5%, respectively, are in the northern central and sections of the country.
Since 1968, De Vincentiis and Lauricella (1) pointed out that in many European countries artificial insemination, both homologous and heterologous, was currently performed, while in Italy the lack of legislation caused embarrassment among gynecologists and paralyzed the centers that diagnose and treat infertility.
Ten years later, 1978, Lauricella (2:) reported: "A society which has produced modern laws on familiar relationship determining the end of patriarchal family, which has practically liberalised induced abortion, must not, for religious-ethical scruples of a party, delay mandatory solutions for the serenity of many infertile couples, or for scientific and social aims."
THE SELF-REGULATION CODE OF CECOS ITALIA
In 1992, still waiting for official legislation from the parliament on assisted reproductive technology (ART), the Association CECOS Italia (Centre pour la Conservation du Sperm) elaborated the self-regulation code 400 to guarantee ethically correct behavior (3). The aim of the code was to establish certain rules, while waiting for a future law and considering the new Italian Code of Medical Ethics, to guarantee the inalienable right of a couple to try to have a child, together with respect to the safety and the rights of the future born. In article 1 of the code, it is stated that interventions must be directed to couples of fertile age, heterosexual, married, or steadily cohabitant. Women are allowed to receive ovodonation until the age of 51 years. Articles 2, 3 and 4 establish the preliminary care of the couple. In article 5, it is important to note that it is mandatory for every CECOS center to be equipped for collection and preservation of human gametes. Some cautions for donors of sperm and ovocytes are stated in articles 6 and 7. It is worth notoing that article 9 states it is forbidden to use sperm that has been cryopreserved for personal use (autopreservation) after the...