Denmark

Denmark Information Region Europe Population 5475791 GDP (millions USD) 311,905 National Policies Eggs for assisted reproduction commercial allowed Eggs for research permitted Inheritable genetic modification PROHIBITED Preimplantation genetic diagnosis social uses prohibited Reproductive cloning PROHIBITED Research cloning PROHIBITED Sex selection Social uses prohibited Surrogacy commercial prohibited International Agreements 1997 COE Biomedicine Convention RATIFIED 1998 COE Cloning Convention signed 2005 UN Cloning Vote no 2005 UNESCO Sports Doping Convention RATIFIED 2007 Treaty of Lisbon RATIFIED

Key laws and policies

• Act on Medically Assisted Procreation in connection with medical treatment, diagnosis and research, No. 460 (June 10, 1997), amended by Act No. 427 (June 2003); Act 535 (June 2006); 240 in 2007. Also note introduction of Order number 1724 (December 21, 2006).
• Act on a Scientific, Ethical Committee System and the Handling of Biomedical Research Projects, No. 503 (1992)
• Act on Adoption, No. 326 (June 4, 1986)
• Council of Europe Convention on Biomedicine and Human Rights (1997)

Prohibited practices

The Act on Medically Assisted Procreation prohibits work on human reproductive cloning, including research cloning.

The Act on a Scientific, Ethical Committee System and the Handling of Biomedical Research Projects prohibits:

• Experiments whose purpose is to enable the production of genetically identical human beings
• Experiments whose purpose is to enable the production of human beings by the fusion of genetically different embryos
• The production of human-animal chimeras
• The creation of human being in the uterus of another animal

Ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on Biomedicine and Human Rights commits Denmark to prohibit:

• Inheritable genetic modification
• Research cloning
• Sex selection for social purposes
• PGD for social purposes
• Somatic genetic enhancement

Commercial surrogacy is prohibited.

Advertising for surrogacy is prohibited.

Permitted and regulated practices

• The National Board of Health can permit the use of PGD in association with artificial fertilization in cases related to the treatment of children with potential lethal diseases.

• Sex selection is permitted by the Act on Medically Assisted Procreation only to prevent a serious sex-linked hereditary disease.

• Research on fertilized eggs and on gametes intended for use in fertilization may only be carried out for the purpose of:
  • Improving IVF or similar techniques
  • Improving techniques for the genetic testing of a fertilized oocyte with a view to establishing the possible presence of a serious hereditary disease or an important chromosome abnormality (preimplantation diagnosis)
  • Obtaining new knowledge that could improve the possibilities of treating diseases in human beings

• Altruistic surrogacy is permissible, but payments and advertising are prohibited, and contracts are not recognized.