Work Programme

2. Advice on Assisted Reproductive Procedures

Section 38 of the Human Assisted Reproductive Technology (HART) Act 2004 requires the Advisory Committee on Assisted Reproductive Technology (ACART), within timeframes agreed with the Minister, to provide the Minister with information, advice, and, if it thinks fit, recommendations on the following matters in relation to assisted reproductive technology:

donations of embryos
embryo splitting
gametes from deceased persons
requirements for informed consent
selection of embryos using pre-implantation genetic analysis
the import into, or export from, New Zealand of in vitro donated cells or in vitro donated embryos.

ACART consulted on assisted reproductive procedures between 6 July and 7 September 2007. On 22 November 2007, ACART issued the following new guidelines to the Ethics Committee on Assisted Reproductive Technology:

and in November 2008, new guidelines for Embryo Donation were issued:

Embryo Donation for Reproductive Purposes.

In May 2008 ACART provided advice to the Minister on embryo splitting:

Embryo Splitting (PDF, 61 KB)

ACART has also delivered some advice to the Minister on Preimplantation genetic diagnosis:

Committee Advice on Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PDF, 155 KB)

and will be consulting the Minister this year on new guidelines for PDG with HLA tissue typing.

Before providing advice to the Minister of Health, ACART is undertaking further work on the following matters:

Use of donated eggs with donated sperm.
Import and export of donated gametes and embryos.
Use of gametes from deceased persons.
Informed consent.

Page last updated: 17 March 2009