As Rwanda looks to expand access to assisted reproductive technologies (ART) to support couples struggling with infertility or medically approved difficulties to give birth, a new draft law under review in Parliament seeks to regulate these services with a strong focus on ethical boundaries, legal clarity, and public health safeguards. The bill has provisions on various reproductive technologies and methods, such as surrogacy and in vitro fertilisation (IVF). The draft law regulating healthcare services outlines strict guidelines for reproductive cells (gametes: ovum or sperm) and embryo donation, storage, and use—along with severe penalties for violations—to ensure responsible and transparent practices in the emerging field of reproductive medicine. ALSO READ: Surrogacy: Civil society seeks clearer legislation on pregnancy risks With the growing demand for ART services to support couples who are unable to conceive naturally, Rwanda has begun offering these medical options. To ensure appropriate oversight and regulation, the draft law introduces specific articles addressing ART practices and related legal and ethical considerations. Assisted reproductive technologies refer to medical treatments and procedures that help individuals and couples to conceive. These include in vitro fertilisation (IVF), a process where an egg is retrieved from a woman’s ovaries and fertilised with a sperm in a laboratory. The resulting embryo is then transferred to the woman’s uterus for potential implantation and pregnancy. ARTs also feature, among others, zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT), a technique where a fertilised embryo is placed directly into the fallopian tube rather than the uterus; and surrogacy which is an arrangement in which a surrogate mother carries a child on behalf of a commissioning or intended parent. ALSO READ: Surrogacy: Six key proposals in new bill Here are the proposed offences and penalties contained in the new bill, which was tabled by the Ministry of Health. Inserting non-human gametes or embryos into a woman As proposed by the bill, anyone who implants non-human reproductive eggs or embryo into a woman commits a criminal offence. Upon conviction, the offender is liable to 20 to 25 years in prison and a fine ranging from Rwf20 million to Rwf25 million, or one of these penalties. Donation by underage or over-age individuals Donating gametes or embryos while below or above the legally permitted age constitutes an offence, as per the bill. A convicted individual face six months to one year in prison and a fine of Rwf20 million to Rwf25 million, or either penalty. ALSO READ: Rwandan court backs surrogacy in landmark ruling Importing or exporting gametes or embryos The bill provides that a person who imports or exports gametes or an embryo commits an offence. Upon conviction, the person is liable to 20 to 25 years of imprisonment and a fine of Rwf15 million to Rwf20 million, or either penalty. Supplying gametes or embryos from the same donor to multiple couples Supplying the same donor’s gametes or embryos to more than one couple violates the law. The offence is punishable by two to five years of imprisonment and a fine of Rwf5 million to Rwf10 million, or either penalty. Kinship-based gamete or embryo donation Donation of gametes or embryos between individuals in direct line kinship and those in collateral kinship up to the seventh degree is prohibited, and anyone who does that commits an offence. Convicted offenders will be liable to two to five years in prison and a fine of Rwf5 million to Rwf10 million, or either penalty. Lawmakers' concerns, suggestions During a session held on May 2 to get views from civil society organisations on the new bill, MP Eliane Mukarusagara suggested that the bill should provide for donor identification such as names which can be included in civil registration records for the purpose of indicating parents of given children. This, she argued, would help ensure that children conceived through ART can trace their biological parentage. MP Veneranda Uwamariya, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Social Affairs, raised concerns about the risks of using anonymous sperm donors. She warned that if one donor's sperms are used for many women, children who share the same biological father could unknowingly get married in the future. “This bill is sensitive,” she said, emphasising the importance of careful deliberation to prevent unintended consequences resulting from inadequate regulation.
