Family Law At Four

The Governance of Reproductive Contingencies

Stefania Pia Perrino

Tuesday, 23 September 2025 at 4:00 p.m. (CEST) 

About the Speaker: 
Stefania Pia Perrino holds a PhD in Legal Sciences at the University of Milan Bicocca, where she works as a Postdoctoral Researcher in Private Law. Her research on reproductive cells and human embryos legal treatment pioneered the development of a procedural model, tailored to their various developmental stages, to enhance patients’ rights.

About the Topic:
The governance of hardship, unforeseen and abnormal events that occur after consent, has been investigated in the contractual sphere, especially after McNeill's relational theory. The exponential growth of cryo-preserved cells, patients performing ART, clinics providing this service, in conjunction with the ever-decreasing birth rates worldwide lead to investigate the phenomenon of contingencies also in reproductive health, where reproductive contingencies may occur. Drawing upon contractual frameworks, the (REMAGEN) project explores post-consent developments during and before assisted reproduction cycles and other factors affecting reproductive capacity, aiming to 

1) define and map these occurrences; 

2) analyse comparative regulatory strategies in Germany, Spain and France; 

3) assess the relevance of relational theory in (reluctant) legal systems, lacking established mechanisms for managing such events (such as Italy and Japan), and 

4) propose policy recommendations to uphold reproductive health and self-determination rights.

About the Series:
"Family Law At Four" offers employees of the Institute and guest speakers the opportunity to present their research on current issues of family law, always at “4 pm”. The event series is aimed at all academics and practitioners interested in family law.

The lecture will be held as a hybrid event, i.e. you are welcome to participate either in person at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law, Mittelweg 187, 20148 Hamburg, or via Zoom.

If you choose to participate online, you will receive the login details the day before the event. Please confirm upon registration that you agree to the use of Zoom and that you will not record the event. By attending the event you confirm that you have read and agreed to Zoom’s Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

If you choose to participate in person, please let us know in case your plans change or you are unable to attend at short notice.