Voluntary donor register for Reproductive Technology Bill

National Party Associate Health spokesman Paul Hutchison has introduced a Supplementary Order Paper to the Human Assisted Reproductive Technology Bill, that would allow donors and donor offspring who have been involved with treatment prior to the commencement of the new legislation, to voluntarily enter information with the Registrar-General.

Dr Hutchison says fertility groups welcome the amendments because the Bill, as it stands, allows no retrospective access to donor offspring or donors who might wish to know their biological parentage.

The principle of the Bill explicitly states “that donor offspring be made aware of their genetic origins and be able to access information about their origin”.

Similar legislation is in place in Australia.

Dr Hutchison says a voluntary retrospective register is consistent with the principles of the Bill, but does not violate agreements of anonymity that donors may have entered into at the time of donation.

The Human Assisted Reproductive Technology Bill was debated in Parliament last night.

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