Free storage of reproductive cells for the military: when and how to apply
27 January 2025 09:46
Starting in 2025, members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be able to store their reproductive cells for free. This became possible thanks to a new government decision adopted on January 24. The initiative is aimed at protecting the reproductive health of the military, who serve in conditions of increased risk to life, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports, citing the Cabinet of Ministers.
Who can use the program
The service is available to military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as employees of other structures involved in combat operations or national security measures.
How to apply
A serviceman should contact his unit commander to get a referral for a medical examination.
After the examination, upon a doctor’s referral, reproductive cells are collected in a medical facility.
To participate in the program, a serviceman must apply to a medical facility to be determined by the government. The full list of such institutions will be made public after all procedures are approved and the relevant agreements with the NHSU are concluded.
Cells are cryopreserved and stored in specialized medical institutions that have concluded agreements with the NHSU.
What to do if a military person stores cells at his/her own expense
If you are already storing your cells at your own expense, you can apply to the medical facility to continue storage for free.
What are the prospects of the program?
To launch the project, the Government must also approve the procedure for using budget funds, and the NHSU must conclude appropriate agreements with medical institutions on medical services for the provision of reproductive cell collection, cryopreservation and storage.
The project was funded in the amount of UAH 190 million from the state budget. This will allow the cells to be stored in safe conditions, ensuring the right to parenthood for servicemen and women even in case of loss of reproductive functions due to military service.
Last February, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine passed a bill that allows the use of reproductive cells of fallen soldiers for fertilization.
The law now provides for
- free storage of a serviceman’s reproductive cells for 3 years after his death;
- the possibility to extend the storage after that at the expense of the person specified in the order.
An individual whose reproductive cells are stored in accordance with the law has the right to dispose of them in the event of his or her death.
If these cells are used for fertilization, this person will be recognized as the father or mother of the child born.
The law and the scandal
Law “On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine on Ensuring the Right of Military Personnel and Other Persons to Biological Paternity (Maternity)” Was adopted by the Verkhovna Rada on November 22, 2023.
It provided for the termination of storage and subsequent utilization of reproductive cells of a person who died or was declared dead. This law was to enter into force on March 22, 2024.
In paragraph 3 of the law’s Final and Transitional Provisions, MPs added the following provision: “in the event of the death or declaration of death in accordance with the established procedure of a person whose reproductive cells are stored, their storage is terminated with further utilization,” authored by the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Health, Medical Assistance and Medical Insurance Mykhailo Radutskyi.
According to this provision, it turned out that the widows of fallen soldiers would not be able to use their sperm, which is specially stored in case of their death. This led to public outrage.
