Rwanda: The sentence of 25 years in jail and compensation of 100 million Rwandan Francs are included in new Rwanda’s health services law ,and surrogacy.
Recently Rwanda has reformed its health services including the new articles such as the article giving right to people of 15 year old to decide their heath decisions alone ,such as family planning, and the article allowing surrogacy (where someone carries a baby for other)
The most serious offense in this law, published in the Official Gazette of September 18, 2025, is contained in Article 98, which relates to providing medical services that assist reproduction using medical technology with the aim of altering a person’s cells.
This article states that anyone convicted by the court shall be punished with imprisonment of not less than 20 years but not exceeding 25 years, and a fine of not less than 40 million Rwandan francs but not exceeding 50 million Rwandan francs.Among other crimes for which penalties are provided is practicing medicine by placing in a woman’s reproductive system embryos that are not human or sperm that are not human.
If convicted by the court, the offender is sentenced to imprisonment of not less than 10 years but not exceeding 15 years, and a fine of not less than 20 million Rwandan francs but not exceeding 25 million Rwandan francs.
This law also provides that a medical practitioner who imports or exports sperm or embryos commits an offense punishable by imprisonment of not less than seven years but not exceeding 10 years, and a fine of not less than 10 million Rwandan francs but not exceeding 15 million Rwandan francs.
Meanwhile, a doctor convicted of providing medically assisted reproductive services with the aim of selecting the sex of the child to be born shall be sentenced to imprisonment of not less than six months but not exceeding one year, and shall pay a fine of not less than 5 million Rwandan francs but not exceeding 7 million Rwandan francs.
The law further states: “Anyone who places sperm or embryos into a woman’s reproductive system without a complete identification record of the donor commits an offense.”
Such a person, if convicted by the court, shall be punished with imprisonment of not less than six months but not exceeding one year, and a fine of not less than 2 million Rwandan francs but not exceeding 5 million Rwandan francs.
A medical institution that matches gametes from people who have a direct kinship relationship by blood, or an indirect kinship relationship by blood up to the seventh degree of consanguinity, also commits an offense.
If convicted by the court, it shall be fined not less than 5 million Rwandan francs.
A medical institution that places into a woman’s reproductive system sperm or embryos from a person who is below or above the legally required age also commits an offense.
If convicted by the court, it shall be fined not less than 5 million Rwandan francs but not exceeding 10 million Rwandan francs, and suspended from providing medically assisted reproductive services for a period of not less than one month but not exceeding three months, or subjected to one of these penalties.
A medical institution that provides sperm or embryos from one person to more than one beneficiary authorized to use medically assisted reproductive technology commits an offense.
It is punishable by a fine of not less than 5 million Rwandan francs.
However, not exceeding 10 million Rwandan francs, and suspension from providing medical services that assist reproduction using medical technology for a period of not less than one month but not exceeding three months, or one of these penalties.
A medical institution that provides sperm or eggs from one person to more than one beneficiary authorized to use medically assisted reproductive technology commits an offense.
It is punishable by a fine of not less than 5 million Rwandan francs but not exceeding 10 million Rwandan francs, and suspension from providing medical services that assist reproduction using medical technology for a period of not less than three months but not exceeding six months, or one of these penalties.
Other acts considered an offense for a medical institution include: performing any procedure such as placing in a woman’s reproductive system embryos or sperm that are not from a human being; importing or exporting sperm or embryos.
It also includes providing medically assisted reproductive services with the aim of altering a person’s cells, and providing such services with the aim of selecting the sex of the child to be born.
A medical institution convicted by the court is punishable by a fine of not less than 80 million Rwandan francs but not exceeding 100 million Rwandan francs, and suspension from providing medically assisted reproductive services for a period of not less than one year but not exceeding three years.
END.
