Page 873 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 20 April 2021
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(f) consider the potential impact of the Mitochondrial Donation Law Reform (Maeve’s Law) Bill 2021 currently being considered by the Commonwealth Parliament and related issues on the ACT’s current legislative arrangements;
(g) consider the accessibility of ART for individuals coming from low socio-economic backgrounds; and
(h) report back to the Legislative Assembly no later than August 2022 on findings.
Many jurisdictions across Australia have legislation and regulatory regimes that provide a framework for ART. The ACT currently does not have any such regulatory arrangement. ART includes all fertility treatments in which either sperm, eggs or embryos are handled. It includes a range of fertility treatments, such as ovulation induction, artificial insemination and in-vitro fertilisation—IVF. The first test tube baby conceived through ART treatment was born in the UK in 1978. Since then the number of ART procedures has risen dramatically. In 2018 there were 84,064 initiated ART cycles in Australia and New Zealand and in the five years to 2017 the number of ART procedures increased, on average, by over 10 per cent each year. Latest estimates indicate that 3.1 per cent of babies born in Australia are the result of ART treatment.
The most common, IVF, is a complex treatment in which one cycle alone takes several months and costs thousands of dollars. The process for IVF patients includes attending consultations with one or more specialists, taking medications to allow for egg production, regular ultrasounds and blood tests, a surgical procedure to retrieve the eggs and sperm collection, insemination outside the body, embryo transfer and maybe daily pills or shots of progesterone for the first eight to 10 weeks of pregnancy.
Depending on the complexity of the case, the process can also involve a range of other surgical and clinical procedures. This often comes with an acute emotional and physical strain. Many patients require more than one round of treatment to become pregnant, if they do at all. Although ART and IVF can increase a woman’s chance of becoming pregnant, it does not work for everyone and this can cause emotional distress and heighten financial burden, as well as placing stress on relationships. ART can also produce incredible euphoria for those who have success.
I am calling for a review of ART services and regulation in the ACT to ensure that patients, including those undergoing treatment, as well as donors, receive the best possible information, care and support throughout their journey. In some jurisdictions legislation and regulation include a range of matters associated with ART. In Victoria and South Australia an individual or couple can only access ART if it has been deemed that conception by means other than ART is unlikely or there is risk for serious genetic effect. Victoria’s legislation also establishes the need for clinic registration, consultations about treatment, and a patient review panel responsible for considering applicants with ethically complex issues.
New South Wales has legislation which governs the registration of providers, prevents the commercialisation of human reproduction, and protects the interests of the person
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