Donor Conception Practices in Australia
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The Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee Donor conception practices in Australia February 2011 © Commonwealth of Australia ISBN: 978-1-74229-361-5 This document was printed by the Senate Printing Unit, Department of the Senate, Parliament House, Canberra. MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE Members Senator Guy Barnett, Chair, LP, TAS Senator Patricia Crossin, Deputy Chair, ALP, NT Senator Mark Furner, ALP, QLD Senator Scott Ludlam, AG, WA Senator Stephen Parry, LP, TAS Senator Russell Trood, LP, QLD Participating members Senator Louise Pratt, ALP, WA Senator Rachel Siewert, AG, WA Secretariat Ms Julie Dennett Committee Secretary Ms Lucy Sargeson Principal Research Officer (from 1 November 2010) Ms Jayne Christensen Principal Research Officer (26 July–5 November 2010) Mr Ivan Powell Principal Research Officer (until 2 July 2010) Ms Monika Sheppard Senior Research Officer (until 18 August 2010) Ms Kate Middleton Administrative Officer Suite S1.61 Telephone: (02) 6277 3560 Parliament House Fax: (02) 6277 5794 CANBERRA ACT 2600 Email: [email protected] iii Table of Contents MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE ............................................................. iii ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................................ ix RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................................... xi CHAPTER 1 ........................................................................................................ 1 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 1 Background ............................................................................................................. 1 Conduct of the inquiry ............................................................................................ 5 Scope of the inquiry ................................................................................................ 5 Structure of the report ............................................................................................. 6 Note on references .................................................................................................. 6 CHAPTER 2 ........................................................................................................ 7 Regulation of donor conception practices ........................................................ 7 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 7 Commonwealth's role in regulation of donor conception ...................................... 7 State and territory regulation of donor conception ............................................... 14 Other states and territories .................................................................................... 19 Concerns about regulation of donor conception practices ................................... 20 CHAPTER 3 ...................................................................................................... 31 Establishment of a national register ..................................................................... 31 Support for the establishment of a national register ............................................. 31 Suggested approaches for a national register ....................................................... 38 Opposition to the establishment of a national register ......................................... 51 Voluntary register ................................................................................................. 52 CHAPTER 4 ...................................................................................................... 53 Payments for donors and provision of counselling services ............................... 53 Payments for donors ............................................................................................. 53 Provision of appropriate counselling and support services .................................. 59 CHAPTER 5 ...................................................................................................... 69 Risk of consanguinity and limits on donations .................................................... 69 Risk of consanguine relationships ........................................................................ 69 Variation between jurisdictions on limits ............................................................. 72 Enforcement of limits ........................................................................................... 73 How should any limits be expressed? .................................................................. 74 What would be an appropriate limit? ................................................................... 75 CHAPTER 6 ...................................................................................................... 77 Rights of donor conceived individuals .................................................................. 77 Access to information about donors ..................................................................... 77 Current concerns for donor conceived people ...................................................... 80 Birth certificates ................................................................................................... 85 Is a 'rights' approach appropriate in this context? ................................................ 88 CHAPTER 7 ...................................................................................................... 91 Committee view and recommendations................................................................ 91 Regulation of donor conception practices ............................................................ 91 Commonwealth's role in regulation of donor conception .................................... 92 Separate but uniform legislation ........................................................................... 93 Establishment of registers and retrospectivity ...................................................... 94 Oversight of clinics ............................................................................................... 97 Payments for donors ............................................................................................. 99 Counselling and support services ......................................................................... 99 Risk of consanguinity and limits on donations .................................................. 101 Rights of donor conceived individuals ............................................................... 102 Acknowledgement .............................................................................................. 103 APPENDIX 1 ................................................................................................... 111 Donor conception – state and territory legislative regimes and access to information ............................................................................................................ 111 APPENDIX 2 ................................................................................................... 115 Adoption – state and territory legislative regimes and access to information ............................................................................................................ 115 APPENDIX 3 ................................................................................................... 121 SUBMISSIONS RECEIVED ............................................................................... 121 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION RECEIVED ................................................. 127 APPENDIX 4 ................................................................................................... 129 WITNESSES WHO APPEARED BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ................. 129 ABBREVIATIONS AHEC Australian Health Ethics Committee AIHW Australian Institute of Health and Welfare ALRC Australian Law Reform Commission ART Assisted Reproductive Technology COAG Council of Australian Governments CROC United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child DCSG Donor Conception Support Group of Australia Department Attorney-General's Department DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid Donor conception Assisted reproductive technology techniques relating to the use of donated gametes (eggs or sperm) or embryos to conceive children EMSN Extended Medicare Safety Net Family Law Act Family Law Act 1975 (Cth) Fertility Society Fertility Society of Australia ITA Infertility Treatment Authority IVF In-vitro fertilisation NHMRC National Health and Medical Research Council NHMRC Act National Health and Medical Research Council Act 1992 (Cth) NHMRC Guidelines Ethical Guidelines on the Use of Reproductive Technology in Clinical Practice and Research (2007) NSW New South Wales NSW Act Assisted Reproductive Technology Act 2007 (NSW) PILCH Public Interest Law Clearing House Privacy Commissioner Commonwealth Office of the Privacy Commissioner Register (WA) Reproductive Technology Register (WA) RTAC Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee of the Fertility Society of Australia SCAG Standing Committee of Attorneys-General Sex Discrimination Act Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth) SMC Australia Solo Mums by Choice Australia SA Act Reproductive Technology (Clinical Practices) Act 1988 (SA) UK United Kingdom VARTA Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority WA Act Human Reproductive Technology Act 1991 (WA) 1984 Victorian Act Infertility (Medical Procedures) Act 1984 (Vic)