Professional self-regulation and guidelines in assisted reproduction.
Australia's scientific expertise in ART has not been matched by similar standards in national regulation. Scientific breakthroughs in the early 1980s were followed by cohorts of State and national inquiries. Early guidelines by the National Health and Medical Research Council were followed by status of children legislation clarifying their parentage where donated gametes were used. The practice and procedure of ART was legislatively regulated in Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia but left to guidelines and accreditation of the Fertility Society of Australia in the remaining States and Territories. The article examines the consequences of an absence of national regulation in dealing with embryo experimentation now that debates have shifted to human cloning and stem cell technology. The article also considers arguments for and against regulation in areas of parental procreative decision-making and embryo experimentation.
Law School, University of Tasmania, GPO Box 252-89, Hobart, Tas 7001, Australia.
Don
D
Chalmers
D026683:Advisory Committees; D001315:Australia; D019924:Embryo Disposition / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D016332:Fetal Tissue Transplantation / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006076:Government; D006291:Health Policy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D007883:Legislation, Medical / Q000592:standards; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic / Q000592:standards; D011361:Professional Competence / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards; D027724:Reproductive Techniques, Assisted / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*
Biomedical and Behavioral Research; Genetics and Reproduction; Legal Approach; National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia)