Children born via in vitro fertilization using sperm or eggs from third parties should be recognized as the offspring of a married couple, but births by a surrogate mother using the sperm and egg of a married couple should not be sanctioned, according to a health ministry panel.
One of the highlights of the panel's final report is that children born via such procedures should be guaranteed the right to information on their biological parents, Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry officials said.
The ministry plans to use the report to draft the first-ever bill on fertility treatment guidelines and submit it to the Diet next year, the officials said.
Authorities must disclose information about their donors if children over 15 demand it, the report says.
To clarify the legitimacy of children born through such procedures, the ministry is also considering changing the Civil Code.
Panel members said they agreed to bar any commercial transfer of eggs and sperm, along with the use of eggs and sperm donated by a patient's sister or brother.
To receive fertilized eggs, the members agreed it should only be allowed when both partners of a couple have fertility problems.
In the case of in vitro fertilization using third-party donor eggs and sperm, they agreed it should be allowed only when doctors judge that there is no other approach to therapy in light of the guidelines set by the government.
The report says hospitals offering such treatment must be designated by the government.
The discussions on rule-making for fertilization treatment began after it was revealed in 1998 that a hospital in Nagano Prefecture had carried out in vitro fertilization using eggs donated by a patient's sister, even though the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology prohibited such treatment.