THE CHILD’S RIGHT TO KNOW ITS ORIGIN IN THE CONTEXT OF NEW FORMS OF FAMILY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25234/pv/34329Keywords:
new family formations, adoption, medically assisted reproduction procedures, right of the child to know its origin, best interests of the childAbstract
This article studies the effects that the introduction of new family formations has had on children’s rights, specifically the child’s right to know its origin. In order to provide for a systematic and comprehensive answer to the question of whether the child can exercise its right to know its origin in the context of new family formations, the author will start off by making a brief overview of the development of the rights of the child. Following that, the question of how and when the right of the child to know its origin was initially recognized as a universal right granted to all children will be answered. The analysis will further on deal with the specific challenges to which the child is subjected to in the context of new forms of family, primarily in cases of adoption, and subsequently, in cases of families created with the help of MAR procedures. As a result, an outline of the existing and possible approaches towards this issue will be showcased in order to summarize the emerging trends related to the child’s right to know its origin.
References
Aljinović N, ‘Surogat majčinstvo: globalni pregled pravne regulacije’ (2024) 45(3) Zbornik Pravnog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Rijeci 613
Bainham A, ‘The Rights and Obligations Associated with the Birth of a Child’ in Ј R Spencer and A Bois-Pedain (eds), Freedom and Responsibility in Reproductive Choice (Oxford-Portland Hart Publishing 2006)
Barać I, ‘Surrogacy: A biomedical mechanism in the fights against infertility’, (2023) 71(2) Belgrade Law Review 259
Benward J, (2012) ‘Identity Development in the Donor-Conceived Child’ in J Guichon and I Mitchell and M Giroux (eds) The Right to Know One’s Origins: Assisted Human Reproduction and the Best Interests of Children (Brussels Academic and Scientific Publishers 2012)
Besson S, ‘Enforcing the Child’s Right to Know her Origins: Contrasting Approaches under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the European Convention on Human Rights’ (2007) 21 International Journal of Law, Policy and The Family 137
Blyth E, ‘Donor Anonymity and Secrecy versus Openness Concerning the Genetic Origins of the Offspring: International Perspectives’ (2006) 5(2) ASSIA – Jewish Medical Ethics 4
Bromley P M, Family Law (Butterworths 1981)
Clark B, ‘A Balancing Act? The Rights of Donor-conceived Children to Know their Biological Origins’ (2012) 40 (3) Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law 62
Cretney S M, Principles of Family Law (Sweet & Maxwell 1994)
Dickens B M, ‘Reproductive Technology and the New Family’, in Sutherland E and McCall Smith A (eds) Family Rights: Family Law and Medical Advance (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press 1990)
Draškić M Porodično pravo i pravo deteta (University of Belgrade Faculty of Law 2019)
Draškić M, ‘Ugovor o surogat materinstvu – između punovažnosti i ništavosti’ in Baretić M and Nikšić S (eds) Zbornik treće regionalne konferencije o obveznom pravu (Zagreb: University of Zagreb Faculty of Law 2022) 341
Fenton-Glynn C, ‘England and Wales’ in Scherpe J M Fenton-Glynn C and Kaan T (eds) Eastern and Western Perspectives on Surrogacy (Cambridge – Antwerp – Chicago: Intersentia 2019) 115
Frank R, ‘Germany: Parentage Law Reformed’ in Bainham A (ed) The International Survey of Family Law (The Hague Kluwer Law International 1997).
Freeman M, ‘The new birth right? Identity and the child of the reproduction revolution’ (1996) 4 The International Journal of Children’s Rights 273
Gottlieb C, Lalos O, Lindblad F ‘Disclosure of donor insemination to the child: the impact of Swedish legislation on couples’ attitudes’ (2000) 15 (9) Human Reproduction 2052
Kovaček Stanić G, ‘Right of the child to parental care – contemporary aspects’ in Varady T, and Kovaček Stanić G (eds) 30 years of applying the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child-Contemporary Approach (Belgrade Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts 2021) 9
Kovaček Stanić G, Pravo deteta da zna svoje poreklo (University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Law 1998)
Lis W, ‘UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: Protection’ in International Children's Rights (Manuscript) (Budapest Central European Academy 2023) 55
Lyons D, ‘Domestic Implementation of the Donor-Conceived Child’s Right to Identity in Light of the Requirements of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child’ (2018) 32 International Journal of Law, Policy and The Family 1
Margaria A, ‘Parenthood and Cross-Border Surrogacy: What Is ‘New’? The ECtHR’s First Advisory Opinion’ (2020) 28(2) Medical Law Review 412
Mladenović M, Porodično pravo (Privredna štampa 1981)
Mršević Z, Analiza uslova i načina ostvarivanja biomedicinski potpomognute oplodnje u Srbiji (Labris – organization for lesbian rights 2020).
Mulligan A, ‘Anonymous gamete donation and Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights: The case of incompatibility’ (2022) 22(2) Medical Law International 119
Ninković R, Kandić-Popović Z, Medicinsko-pravni aspekti vantelesnog oplođenja (ICN Galenika 1995)
Preložnjak B, ‘Modern Challenges in the Implementation of the Child’s Right to Know His Origin’ (2020) 4 EU and Comparative Law Issues and Challenges 1175
Ravitsky V, ‘The Shifting Landscape of Prenatal Testing: Between Reproductive Autonomy and Public Health’ (2017) 47 (3) Just Reproduction: Reimagining Autonomy in Reproductive Medicine 34
Sadowska M, ‘UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: Provision’ in International Children's Rights (Manuscript) (Budapest Central European Academy 2023) 78
Samardžić S, Prava deteta u oblasti medicinski asistirane reprodukcije (University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Law 2018)
Scherpe J M (2016) ‘Organic European Family Law’ in Scherpe J, (ed) The present and the future European Family Law (Cheltenham Edward Elgar Publishing Limited 2016) 40
Schmahl S, United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Article-by-article-Commentary (Baden Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. 2021)
Snowden R, Mitchell G D, The Artificial Family (London Allen & Unwin 1981)
Sutherland E E, Barnes Macfarlane L - A, Implementing Article 3 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Cambridge University Press 2016)
Van Bueren G, The International Law on the Rights of the Child (Kluwer Law International 1998)
Vujaklija M, Leksikon stranih reči i izraza (Prosveta Beograd 1937)
Warnock M ‘The Good of the Child’ (1987) 1(2) Bioethics 141–155
Zegers-Hochschild F, Adamson G D, Dyer S, Racowsky C, de Mouzon J, Sokol R, Rienzi L, Sunde A, Schmidt L, Cooke D I, Leigh Simpson J, van der Poell S, (2017) ‘The International Glossary on Infertility and Fertility Care’ (2017) 108(3) Fertility and Sterility 393
REGULATIONS AND DOCUMENTS
Family Code of Russian Federation (Семейный кодекс Российской Федерации – СФ от 29.12.1995 N 223-ФЗ, ред. от 4. 8. 2022, с изм. и доп., вступ. в силу с 1. 9. 2022).
Zakon o biomedicinski potpomognutoj oplodnji (SG 40/2017, 113/2017) (RS)
Public Health Code (Code de la santé publique), L2141-4.
United Nations (1989) Convention on the Rights of the Child, treaty no. 27531, adopted by General Assembly resolution 44/25.
Council of Europe (1950) European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, as amended by Protocols Nos. 11 and 14, ETS 5, 4.
JUDGMENTS AND OTHER DECISIONS
Pejřilova v. The Czech Republic App no 14889/19 (ECtHR, 8 December 2022)
Committee of Ministers (2019) Reply to the recommendation: Recommendation 2156 (2019), no. 14995.
Committee on the Rights of the Child (1994) Consideration of Reports submitted by States Parties under Article 44 of the Convention: Convention on the Rights of the Child: Concluding observations: Norway, CRC/C/15/Add.23.
Committee on the Rights of the Child (1995) Consideration of Reports submitted by States Parties under Article 44 of the Convention: Convention on the Rights of the Child: Concluding observations: Denmark, CRC/C/15/Add. 33, 1995.
Committee on the Rights of the Child (1996) Consideration of Reports submitted by States Parties under Article 44 of the Convention: Convention on the Rights of the Child: Concluding observations: Uruguay CRC/C/15/Add.62.
Committee on the Rights of the Child (2004) Consideration of Reports submitted by States Parties under Article 44 of the Convention: Convention on the Rights of the Child: Concluding observations: Armenia, CRC/C/15/Add.225.
Committee on the Rights of the Child (2005) Consideration of Reports submitted by States Parties under Article 44 of the Convention: Convention on the Rights of the Child: Concluding observations: Russian Federation CRC/C/RUS/CO/3.
ECtHR (2023) Legal summary Gauvin-Fournis and Silliau v. France, Application no. 21424/16 and Application no. 45728/17, 7 September 2023.
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (2019) Anonymous donation of sperm and oocytes: balancing the rights of parents, donors and children, Recommendation 2156.
Records of the Fifth Assembly, Supplement no. 23, League of Nations Official Journal 1924.
United Nations Children’s Fund (2007) Implementation Handbook for the Convention on the rights of the child.
Hague Conference on Private International Law, The Desirability and Feasibility of Further Work on the Parentage/Surrogacy Project, Preliminary Document No. 3 B of March 2014 for the attention of the Council of April 2014 on General Affairs and Policy of the Conference, Prel. Doc. No. 3 B March 2014, Annex A - Revised Glossary.
Hague Conference on Private International Law, ‘Parentage / Surrogacy Experts’ Group: Final Report “The feasibility of one or more private international law instruments on legal parentage”’, Preliminary Document No. 1 of November 2022
Rees v. The United Kingdom App no 9532/81 (ECtHR, 17 October 1986).
Gaskin v. The United Kingdom App no 10454/83 (ECtHR, 7 July 1989).
Mikulić v. Croatia App no. 53176/99 (EctHR, 7 February 2002).
Odièvre v. France App. No. 42326/98 (ECtHR, 13 February 2003).
Jäggi v. Switzerland App no. 58757/00 (ECtHR, 17 October 2006).
Godelli v. Italy App no. 33783/09 (ECtHR, 25 September 2012).
Menneson v. France App. no. 65192/11 (ECtHR, 26 June 2014).
Gauvin-Fournis v. France, App no. 21424/16 (ECtHR, 15 April 2016).
Sillia v. France, App no 45728/17 (ECtHR, 23 June 2017).
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Ivana Barać Milovanović
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Authors retain the copyright on the papers published in the Journal, but grant the right of first publication to the Journal. Papers accepted for publication or already published in Pravni vjesnik of the Faculty of Law in Osijek may be published by the author(s) in other publications only with proper notice of its previous publication in Pravni vjesnik.
