Switzerland May Soon Let Single Women Access Sperm Donation at Home

A Swiss parliamentary committee has backed a major change to reproductive laws. The proposal would allow single women to access sperm donation and assisted reproduction in Switzerland. Currently, they must travel abroad for such procedures.

The move follows concerns that children conceived overseas lack the same rights as those born through Swiss sperm donation.

Under existing Swiss law, reproductive medicine is limited to couples who plan to raise a child together. Single women seeking parenthood must go to other countries for treatment. The National Council's Science, Education, and Culture Committee (WBK-N) now argues this creates unequal rights for children born abroad.

The committee has voted to amend the Reproductive Medicine Act. If passed, the change would let single women use donated sperm in Switzerland. Surrogacy, however, would stay banned. The federal constitution may also be updated if needed to support the reform.

No official figures exist on how many Swiss women have had children through adoption or foreign births since 2010. The proposal will now go to the Council of States' sister committee for review. If approved there, the National Council can draft a formal bill to change the law.

The next step is a review by the Council of States' committee. If both chambers agree, single women could soon access assisted reproduction in Switzerland. The reform would end the need for them to seek treatment in other countries.