Lithuania has temporarily suspended assisted reproduction services for new patients following a Constitutional Court ruling that declared the existing law unconstitutional.
The Health Ministry said healthcare providers would only be able to resume services for new patients once parliament expands the legal definition of who is eligible for IVF treatment.
"Those who have already started assisted reproduction procedures may continue, but new patients can only begin once the law defining the circle of eligible persons is passed," said Health Minister Marija Jakubauskienė.
The Constitutional Court ruled a year ago that the Law on Assisted Reproduction was unconstitutional because it restricted IVF services to married couples or those in a registered partnership. That ruling took effect on Thursday.
Parliament had been expected to adopt amendments during the intervening period, but legislative changes only began their passage through the Seimas this week.
Under the proposed draft, assisted reproduction would be available to adult spouses, registered partners, male-female couples who have lived together for at least one year with the intention of starting a family, and single women.
Jakubauskienė said the changes would result in hundreds of additional births in Lithuania each year.
The one-year cohabitation requirement for unmarried couples has, however, drawn criticism from the opposition Liberal Movement. Its leader, Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, argued it would be impossible for doctors to verify such a claim in practice.
The Health Minister responded that the Justice Ministry had recommended the provision and that a signed statement or verbal confirmation from the couple would be sufficient.
Ministry figures show that 2,800 children were born through assisted reproduction in Lithuania between 2018 and 2024.
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