An Islamic legislation that was passed by a parliamentary committee on Nov. 7 includes a provision that expands a ban on sperm and egg donations.
According to the respective regulation in legislation, a doctor who refers people to donation centres to seek fertility treatment in foreign countries may risk facing up to five years in jail.
Doctors who encourage people to visit such centres abroad will face criminal charges.
This rule will also apply to those who donate, preserve, ship and trade sperms and eggs and those that trade sperms and eggs and encourage such activities.
Turkey's Islamist AKP government had prevented the “human milk bank” initiations to be realised. The project, collecting and preserving human milk donated in order to give babies in need, was put aside by the Ministry of Health after these discussions. According to the statement made by the Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs, this kind of a practice should be implemented very carefully, if done, because it may result in “milk kinship”, which is not allowable under Islamic rules.
