Human Reproduction

The French bioethics reform: Moving towards a new model of reproduction?

Abstract: This article discusses the French bioethics reform carried out by the law of 2 August 2021. This new law constitutes a major step forward as it does not merely update the existing system, but rather introduces a new vision of reproduction, detached from the notion of pathological infertility. The parental project has thus become the core element of the medically assisted reproduction process. However, it should not be believed that the therapeutic logic has entirely deserted the topic of reproduction. Research on embryos and stem cells is still guided by a medicalpurpose, but has been considerably facilitated in the light of recent innovations such as CRISP-Cas9 technology. These changes will be analyzed in the light of the previous bioethics laws of 1994, 2004 and 2011.