{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,30]],"date-time":"2026-06-30T02:43:49Z","timestamp":1782787429115,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,2]],"date-time":"2026-02-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1769990400000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Med Sci Law"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,7]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>The recent introduction in Italy of unsupervised conjugal visits for prisoners is part of a broader trend that has been well-established across numerous European countries. This provision is grounded in the respect for constitutional rights and the principles set out by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which underscores the centrality of private and family life even for incarcerated individuals. This development raises significant bioethical and medico-legal challenges, which have yet to be fully explored, particularly regarding conception during conjugal visits. The present article critically analyses the bioethical implications related to the right to parenthood in prison, state responsibility towards the unborn child, reproductive health challenges, and related medico-legal issues. It highlights a legislative gap that urgently requires attention and proposes operational strategies for addressing these challenges.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/00258024261418400","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,2]],"date-time":"2026-02-02T14:20:44Z","timestamp":1770042044000},"page":"283-288","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Conjugal visits and conception: Bioethical and medico-legal challenges in correctional settings"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"66","author":[{"given":"Camilla","family":"Cecannecchia","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Foggia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fernanda","family":"Cioffi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Fertilitas Day Surgery Reproductive Medicine"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5163-9558","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Andrea","family":"Cioffi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Foggia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,2]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_2_2_2","unstructured":"Corte Costituzionale. Sentenza 10\/2024. 26\/01\/2024. https:\/\/www.penaledp.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/sentenza.pdf."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_3_2","unstructured":"L. 26 luglio 1975 n. 354. Norme sull'ordinamento penitenziario e sull'esecuzione delle misure privative e limitative della libert\u00e0. https:\/\/presidenza.governo.it\/USRI\/ufficio_studi\/normativa\/L.%2026%20luglio%201975 %20n.%20354.pdf."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_4_2","unstructured":"Ministero della Giustizia. Dipartimento dell\u2019amministrazione penitenziaria. Ufficio del Capo del Dipartimento. Sentenza n. 10\/2024 della Corte costituzionale e l'affettivit\u00e0 in carcere. Prime linee guida per i Signori Provveditori i Direttori e i Comandanti di Reparto. Roma 11 aprile 2025. https:\/\/www.giurisprudenzapenale.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Linee-guida-su-affettivita-in-carcere.pdf."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_5_2","unstructured":"European Court of Human Rights. Guide on Article 8 of the Convention \u2013 Right to respect for private and family life. Strasbourg: Council of Europe; 2021 Aug 31 (updated). https:\/\/globalfreedomofexpression.columbia.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Guide-to-Art.-8-of-the-ECtHR-COE-and-ECtHR.pdf."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_6_2","unstructured":"European Court of Human Rights (Grand Chamber). Khoroshenko v. Russia Application no. 41418\/04. Judgment. Strasbourg; 2015 Jun 30. https:\/\/hudoc.echr.coe.int\/eng?i=001-156006."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_7_2","unstructured":"European Court of Human Rights. Factsheet \u2013 Right to respect for family life of prisoners in remote penal facilities. Strasbourg: ECHR Press\/Research Division; 2024 Apr. https:\/\/www.echr.coe.int\/documents\/d\/echr\/FS_Remote_penal_facilities_ENG."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_8_2","unstructured":"European Court of Human Rights. Case of Dickson v. The United Kingdom. Application no. 44362\/04. Strasbourg. 4 December 2007. https:\/\/hudoc.echr.coe.int\/#{%22fulltext%22:[%22dickson%22] %22documentcollectionid2%22:[%22GRANDCHAMBER%22 %22CHAMBER%22] %22itemid%22:[%22001-83788%22]}."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_9_2","unstructured":"European Court of Human Rights. Fourth section. Case of Ciorap v. Moldova. Application no. 12066\/02. Strasbourg. 19 September 2007. https:\/\/hudoc.echr.coe.int\/eng#{%22itemid%22:[%22001-81136%22]}."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_10_2","unstructured":"European Court of Human Rights. Fifth section. Case of Bigun v. Ukraine. Application no. 30315\/02. Strasbourg. 21 March 2019. https:\/\/hudoc.echr.coe.int\/eng#{%22itemid%22:[%22001-191744%22]}."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_11_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.14296\/ac.v2004i55.1071"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_12_2","unstructured":"Marie Cr\u00e9tenot. European Prison Observatory. Detention conditions in the European Union. Dalle prassi nazionali alle linee guida europee: iniziative interessanti nella gestione penitenziaria. Antigone Edizioni Roma dicembre 2013. https:\/\/www.osservatorioantigone.it\/upload2\/uploads\/docs\/Reportepo.pdf."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_13_2","unstructured":"Italian Constitutional Court. Judgment No. 10\/2024. https:\/\/www.penaledp.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/sentenza.pdf. 2024 January 26."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_14_2","unstructured":"European Court of Human Rights. Court. Case of X Y and Z v. United Kingdom. Application no. 21830\/93. Strasbourg. 22 April 1997. https:\/\/hudoc.echr.coe.int\/eng#{%22itemid%22:[%22001-58032%22]}."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_15_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1542\/peds.2012-0627"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_16_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/sf\/sow066"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_17_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0022146514544173"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_18_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0133347"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_19_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.adolescence.2016.10.006"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_20_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.childyouth.2019.05.016"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_21_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2174\/1745017902016010036"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_22_2","unstructured":"UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. General Comment No. 14 (2013) on the right of the child to have his or her best interests taken as a primary consideration (Art. 3 para. 1). Geneva: OHCHR; 2013 May 29. CRC\/C\/GC\/14."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_23_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2105\/AJPH.2021.306580"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_24_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1515\/jpm-2022-0412"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_25_2","unstructured":"Council of Europe. Recommendation Rec(2006)2-rev of the Committee of Ministers to member States on the European Prison Rules revised and amended by the Committee of Ministers on 1 July 2020. https:\/\/images.processopenaleegiustizia.it\/f\/sentenze\/documento_EXo7r_ppg.pdf."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_26_2","unstructured":"United Nations. United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules). 16 March 2011. https:\/\/www.unodc.org\/documents\/justice-and-prison-reform\/Bangkok_Rules_ENG_22032015.pdf."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_27_2","unstructured":"D.Lgs. 230\/1999. https:\/\/www.normattiva.it\/uri-res\/N2Ls?urn:nir:stato:decreto.legislativo:1999-06-22;230."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_28_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Legge 354\/1975. https:\/\/www.normattiva.it\/uri-res\/N2Ls?urn:nir:stato:legge:1975-07-26;354.","DOI":"10.1159\/000219652"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_29_2","unstructured":"United Nation. Convention on the Rights of the Child. 1989. https:\/\/digitallibrary.un.org\/record\/80135?v=pdf."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_30_2","unstructured":"Protocollo d\u2019intesa tra Ministero della Giustizia Autorit\u00e0 Garante per l'Infanzia e l'Adolescenza Bambinisenzasbarre Onlus. Carta dei diritti dei figli di genitori detenuti. 2018. https:\/\/www.garanteinfanzia.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2020-03\/protocollo-carta-figli-detenuti-20-11-2018.pdf."}],"container-title":["Medicine, Science and the Law"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/00258024261418400","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1177\/00258024261418400","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/00258024261418400","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,30]],"date-time":"2026-06-30T01:48:20Z","timestamp":1782784100000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/00258024261418400"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,2]]},"references-count":29,"journal-issue":{"issue":"3","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,7]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1177\/00258024261418400"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/00258024261418400","relation":{},"ISSN":["0025-8024","2042-1818"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0025-8024","type":"print"},{"value":"2042-1818","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,2]]}}}