Public comment sought on ethical guidelines of assisted reproductive technology

The National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) Australian Health Ethics Committee (AHEC) is conducting a review of Part B (the clinical practice section) of the Ethical Guidelines on the Use of Assisted Reproductive Technology in Clinical Practice and Research, 2007.

Assisted reproductive technology (ART) is the application of laboratory or clinical techniques to human eggs, sperm or embryos for the purposes of reproduction. The Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee requires clinics to comply with NHMRC’s guidelines as part of its accreditation criteria.

Part B of the ART guidelines provides ethical guidance on topics such as:

• the use and storage of human eggs, sperm and embryos,
• techniques for the selection of embryos,
• information giving, counselling and consent.

AHEC has now opened a public consultation on the current ethical guidance in Part B of the ART guidelines. No changes to the guidelines have been proposed yet, and further public consultation will be undertaken should a revised Part B be drafted.

“Many Australians hold strong views on the issues covered by these guidelines, which is why we are seeking feedback from the community,” said NHMRC CEO Professor Warwick Anderson.

“Public consultation will help determine the usefulness of our current ethical guidelines and advise on their suitability regarding changes in technology and community sentiment.”

The aim of the consultation is to:

• determine the usefulness of the current ethical guidance,
• identify any current gaps in the ethical guidance,
• identify any new technologies, or new uses of old technology, that may require further or different ethical guidance,
• inform the development of revised ethical guidance.

The deadline for the public consultation is 30 April 2014. Submissions can be made here.