Victoria to consider assisted reproduction law reform
Danielle Hamm, Progress Educational Trust 12 June 2007 [BioNews, London] The Victorian Law Reform Commission (VLRC) has published its final report on Assisted Reproductive Technology and Adoption. The report will now be considered by the Victorian State Government; a formal response is expected by the end of 2007. Assisted reproduction is governed in the Australian state by the Infertility Treatment Act 1995 and is regulated by the Infertility Treatment Authority (ITA). The VLRC was commissioned to review the law surrounding assisted reproduction by the Victorian Government. Current legislation is considered outdated by developments in reproductive technology and demands for equal reproductive rights for same-sex couples. For example, currently only clinically infertile married couples, or de facto married couples, are eligible for fertility treatment. This requirement was challenged in the Federal Court in 2000; the Court found that the current legislation was inconsistent with Federal anti-discrimination laws and was therefore invalid. Despite this, women without male partners must be clinically infertile or at risk of conveying a genetic disorder, in order to be eligible for treatment in Victoria. The report issued 130 recommendations to the Victorian Government; key proposals include:
- The welfare of the child should govern all decision-making.
http://www.BioNews.org.uk [email protected] © Copyright 2008 Progress Educational Trust Reproduced from BioNews with permission, a web- and email-based source of news, information and comment on assisted reproduction and human genetics, published by Progress Educational Trust. |
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