In 2005, Spain passed the Homosexual Marriage Law, thus recognizing the right to adoption and becoming the first country to do so. At the same time, the Civil Code was also modified to facilitate the use of assisted human reproduction for lesbians. All this has contributed to make Spain a leading country in the different assisted reproduction treatments, as for example in the case of the ROPA method, specifically for lesbian couples.
How ROPA works
The technique of Reception of Eggs from the Couple (ROPA) for Assisted Reproduction, specifically for lesbian women, consists of first carrying out an ovarian stimulation treatment on one of the members of the couple. The next step consists of extracting the oocytes, which are fertilized in the In Vitro Fertilization laboratory with donor sperm. Once these evolve into embryos, they are transferred to the uterus of the other woman. In this way, both women collaborate in the maternity: one provides the eggs and the other carries out the gestation. This is a process in which both feel “involved and co-responsible”, thus creating an important bond in the couple’s relationship. In this way, the child belongs to the couple from the moment of birth.
Currently, the ROPA method is only applied in private centers such as Zygos, since the public health system excludes both single women and lesbians from assisted reproduction treatments, a fact widely denounced by groups such as the Spanish Youth Council and the National Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Transsexuals and Bisexuals (LGTB).