Table of Contents
I INTRODUCTION OF THE CASE AND PURPOSE OF THE DISPUTE ............................4
II PROCEEDINGS BEFORE THE COURT ..................................................................... 5
III PRELIMINARY OBJECTIONS ............................................................................... 9
A) Failure to exhaust domestic remedies ................................................................. 9
B) Time-barred petition filed by Karen Espinoza and Héctor Jiménez Acuña ............... 12
C) Lack of competence of the Court to hear “new facts not included” in the “facts of the
application” .......................................................................................................... 14
IV JURISDICTION.................................................................................................. 15
V EVIDENCE ......................................................................................................... 15
A) Documentary, testimonial, and expert evidence ................................................. 15
B) Admission of the evidence ............................................................................... 16
B.1) Admission of documentary evidence ............................................................... 16
B.2) Admission of the statements of the presumed victims, and of testimonial and
expert evidence .................................................................................................. 18
VI FACTS .............................................................................................................. 20
A) Assisted reproduction and in vitro fertilization techniques .................................... 20
B) The Executive Decree ..................................................................................... 22
C) Judgment of the Constitutional Chamber of March 15, 2000 ................................ 23
D) Remedies filed by Ileana Henchoz and Karen Espinoza ..................................... 26
E)
Draft legislation ............................................................................................. 27
F)
Specific situation of the presumed victims ......................................................... 28
F.1) Grettel Artavia Murillo and Miguel Mejías Carballo ......................................... 28
F.2) Ileana Henchoz and Miguel Yamuni.............................................................. 29
F.3) Oriéster Rojas and Julieta González ............................................................. 31
F.4) Víktor Sanabria León and Claudia Carro Maklouf ........................................... 32
F.5) Giovanni Vega and Joaquinita Arroyo ........................................................... 33
F.6) Karen Espinoza and Héctor Jiménez ............................................................. 34
F.7) Carlos Eduardo de Jesús Vargas Solórzano and María del Socorro Calderón ........
Porras …………………………………… ............................................................................ 35
F.8) Enrique Acuña Cartín and María Cristina Castillo León .................................... 36
F.9) Andrea Bianchi Bruna y Germán Moreno Valencia .......................................... 36
VII PRIOR CONSIDERATION ON THE PURPOSE OF THE INSTANT CASE ................ 37
VIII RIGHT TO PRIVATE AND FAMILY LIFE AND RIGHT TO PERSONAL INTEGRITY
IN RELATION TO PERSONAL AUTONOMY, SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH,
THE RIGHT TO ENJOY THE BENEFITS OF SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL
PROGRESS AND THE PRINCIPLE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION ................................. 40
A) Scope of the rights to personal integrity, personal iberty, and private and family life
in this case ........................................................................................................... 41
B) Effects of the absolute prohibition of IVF ........................................................... 47
C)
Interpretation of Article 4(1) of the Convention as relevant in this
case................ 46
C.1) Interpretation in accordance with the ordinary meaning of the terms ............... 53
C.2) Systematic and historical interpretation ....................................................... 58
C.2.a) Inter-American human rights system ......................................................... 59
C.2.b) Universal System of Human rights ............................................................. 65
C.2.c) European System of Human Rights ............................................................ 68