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Ethical guidelines on the use of assisted reproductive technology in clinical practice and research

In 2007 the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) released revised Ethical guidelines on the use of assisted reproductive technology in clinical practice and research (ART guidelines).  The guidelines were revised only to the extent made necessary by amendments made to the 2002 legislation by the Prohibition of Human Cloning for Reproduction and the Regulation of Human Research Amendment Act 2006.

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The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) released revised Ethical guidelines on the use of assisted reproductive technology in clinical practice and research (ART guidelines) in 2007.  The guidelines were revised only to the extent made necessary by amendments made to the 2002 legislation by the Prohibition of Human Cloning for Reproduction and the Regulation of Human Research Amendment Act 2006.  The NHMRC routinely reviews its guidelines every five years. Public consultation on this guideline will most likely occur in early 2011.

The revised ART guidelines provide ethical advice in areas such as:

• human egg donation;
• research on embryos that are unsuitable for implantation;
• research on embryos created by somatic cell nuclear transfer; and
• ‘proper consent’ in relation to the donation of human eggs and embryos.

The NHMRC Embryo Research Licensing Committee has developed an information kit to assist researchers and Human Research Ethics Committees with applications made under the Prohibition of Human Cloning for Reproduction Act 2002 and the Research Involving Human Embryos Act 2002. The kit can be accessed here.

The guidelines also provide ethical advice for the clinical practice of ART, including:

• guidelines for the use of donated embryos;
• storage of gametes and embryos;
• information giving, counselling and consent; and
• innovations, training and quality assurance.

Sex selection

The current guideline states that choosing embryos in IVF clinics on the basis of whether they are male or female must not be undertaken except in cases of serious genetic gender-linked conditions.

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