The Senate –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Community Affairs Legislation Committee –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Provisions of the Research Involving Embryos and Prohibition of Human Cloning Bill 2002 October 2002 © Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia 2002 ISSN 1440-2572 Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee Secretariat Mr Elton Humphery Secretary The Senate Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600 Phone: 02 6277 3515 Fax: 02 6277 5829 E-mail: [email protected] Internet: http://www.aph.gov.au/senate_ca This document was prepared by the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee Secretariat and printed by the Senate Printing Unit, Parliament House, Canberra Membership of the Committee Members Senator Sue Knowles, Chairman LP, Western Australia Senator Natasha Stott Despoja, Deputy AD, South Australia Chair (from 17.9.02) Senator Guy Barnett LP, Tasmania Senator Kay Denman ALP, Tasmania Senator the Hon Bill Heffernan LP, New South Wales (from 28.8.02) Senator Steve Hutchins ALP, New South Wales Former members Senator Lyn Allison, Deputy Chair AD, Victoria (until 17.9.02) Senator the Hon John Herron LP, Queensland (until 28.8.02) Substitute members for this inquiry Senator McLucas replace Senate Denman for the inquiry from 17 September 2002. Senator Mason replace Senator Heffernan on 17 September 2002 from 4.45 pm until the Committee concludes its business on that day. Senator Eggleston replace Senator Heffernan on 19, 24 and 26 September 2002. Senator Bishop replace Senator Hutchins from 6.10 pm on 19 September 2002 until the Committee concludes its business on that day. Participating members Senator the Hon Eric Abetz LP, Tasmania Senator Mark Bishop ALP, Western Australia Senator the Hon Ron Boswell NPA, Queensland Senator Bob Brown** (from 27.8.02) AG, Tasmania Senator Geoffrey Buckland ALP, South Australia Senator Paul Calvert LP, Tasmania Senator Kim Carr ALP, Victoria Senator Grant Chapman LP, South Australia Senator John Cherry* AD, Queensland Senator Jacinta Collins ALP, Victoria iii Senator Helen Coonan LP, New South Wales Senator Trish Crossin ALP, Northern Territory Senator Kay Denman** (from 17.9.02) ALP, Tasmania Senator Alan Eggleston LP, Western Australia Senator Chris Evans ALP, Western Australia Senator the Hon John Faulkner ALP, New South Wales Senator Alan Ferguson LP, South Australia Senator Jeannie Ferris LP, South Australia Senator Michael Forshaw ALP, New South Wales Senator Brian Grieg^ (from 17.9.02) AD, Western Australia Senator Brian Harradine IND, Tasmania Senator Len Harris PHON, Queensland Senator John Hogg ALP, Queensland Senator Meg Lees IND, South Australia Senator Ross Lightfoot LP, Western Australia Senator Julian McGauran NPA, Victoria Senator Jan McLucas ALP, Queensland Senator Claire Moore ALP, Queensland Senator Shayne Murphy IND, Tasmania Senator Kerry Nettle** (from 27.8.02) AG, Tasmania Senator Marise Payne LP, New South Wales Senator Natasha Stott Despoja AD, South Australia (from 22.8.02 to 17.9.02) Senator John Tierney LP, New South Wales Senator John Watson LP, Tasmania Senator Ruth Webber ALP, Western Australia * For matters relating to the Family and Community Services portfolio ^ For matters relating to the Health portfolio ** For the Committee’s inquiry into the provisions of the Research Involving Embryos and Prohibition of Human Cloning Bill 2002 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS MEMBERSHIP OF THE COMMITTEE...........................................................iii LIST OF ACRONYMS............................................................................................ix CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND ................................................................1 Reference and inquiry.............................................................................................1 House of Representatives consideration of the Bill ...............................................2 Inquiries, reports and debate on human cloning and embryo research ..................2 Senate Select Committee on the Human Embryo Experimentation Bill 1985 ...3 Development of the NHMRC/AHEC Ethical Guidelines on ART.....................3 1998 AHEC Report to the Minister for Health and Aged Care ..........................4 House of Representatives Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs – 2001 Report on Human Cloning ..................................4 Gene Technology Act 2000.................................................................................5 Australian Health Ministers’ Conference consideration of the issues ................5 COAG consideration and the 5 April 2002 communique ...................................6 Development of the Research Involving Embryos and Prohibition of Human Cloning Bill 2002 ...................................................................................8 CHAPTER 2 STEM CELL RESEARCH AND HUMAN CLONING: AN OVERVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC ASPECTS .......................................................................................9 Introduction ............................................................................................................9 Defining terms ........................................................................................................9 Stem cells...........................................................................................................10 Embryonic stem cells.....................................................................................10 Adult stem cells .............................................................................................11 Embryonic germ cells ....................................................................................11 Embryonic stem cells and germ cells - The Trounson debate...........................12 Properties of cells ..............................................................................................14 Cloning technologies.........................................................................................15 Embryo splitting ............................................................................................16 Somatic cell nuclear transfer..........................................................................16 Potential applications of stem cell research..........................................................19 Stem cell therapies.............................................................................................19 Feasibility of tissue transplantation ...............................................................24 v Therapeutic effectiveness of adult compared to embryonic stem cells.........27 Relationship between cell therapies and disease processes...........................33 Other applications of stem cell research............................................................34 Summary...............................................................................................................36 CHAPTER 3 ETHICAL ISSUES.....................................................................................................37 Introduction ..........................................................................................................37 Structure of argumentation...................................................................................38 Moral status of the human embryo.......................................................................38 No moral status..................................................................................................39 Same moral status as an adult human being......................................................41 Commencement of human life.......................................................................42 Shared humanity? ..........................................................................................43 Limited moral status..........................................................................................47 Utilitarian arguments............................................................................................48 Other arguments ...................................................................................................51 Slippery slope ....................................................................................................52 Conceptual loss..................................................................................................53 Commodification of life ................................................................................54 Community sentiment....................................................................................55 Holistic conception of the human condition..................................................56 Distribution of resources ...................................................................................59 Autonomy argument..........................................................................................60 Scientific, economic and technological impact.................................................61 National legislation............................................................................................63 CHAPTER 4 THE BILL ...................................................................................................................65 Part 1 - Preliminary...............................................................................................65 Part 2 - Prohibited practices .................................................................................68