Legal regulation of egg freezing and transfer： from the medical model to the social model
10.12026/j.issn.1001-8565.2025.05.15
- VernacularTitle:卵子冻存与流转的法律规制：从医疗模式迈向社会模式
- Author:
Ruolan YU
1
;
Yikang ZENG
2
Author Information
1. Law School/Intellectual Property School， Jinan University， Guangzhou 510632， China
2. School of Health Management， Guangzhou Medical University， Guangzhou 510515， China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
egg freezing;
egg transfer;
legal regulation;
medical model;
social model
- From:
Chinese Medical Ethics
2025;38(5):647-655
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Egg freezing and transfer technology play an important role in addressing the issues of aging and low birthrate. However， current laws adopt a “medical model” that strictly limits this technology to medical purposes.The legal system should shift from a “medical model” to a “social model，” granting women the right to autonomously choose to freeze their eggs for non-medical indications. In conjunction with the implementation of the “social model”， it is necessary to reconstruct the principle of public welfare based on the concept of solidarity， ensuring the accessibility and fairness of technology. Meanwhile， the principle of the best interests of future generations should be prioritized to protect their well-being， and systematic supervision should be improved through the risk-monitoring model. In terms of specific rules， a pre-consultation system should be constructed to guarantee that women are fully informed and have complete self-determination in social egg freezing； the right to know the genetic origins of offspring should be confirmed to ensure that children have the right to access their genetic information； as well as an independent reproductive medicine ethics committee should be established to configure special ethical review rules suitable for egg freezing and transfer， to avoid the risk of technological abuse.
