Italy

     In 2004, the Italian parliament passed Law 40/2004 after much debate.  The result of this legislation will inhibit the use of ART within the Country and in all likelihood extend the proverbial carrot of medical tourism. 

     The law addresses many technical practices of assisted reproduction and several such practices are now banned.  The law mandates that no more than three embryos will be created at any one time and all embryos created must be transferred even if the couple does not need all of those embryos.  The implication here is that pre-embryo cryo-preservation  is forbidden.  Another consequence of the law is a prohibition against third party reproduction, i.e., surrogacy and donation.  Finally, screening embryos for genetic defects is banned.