The government will launch a 40-day public consultation on Monday about a bill to regulate assisted reproductive technology (ART) services in the city.
A press conference about the public consultation was held Wednesday at the Health Bureau (SSM). The public consultation will end on January 12. Six public sessions will be held during the consultation period. The press conference was chaired by Leong Pui San, a Health Bureau official in charge of the issuing of medical licences.
The public consultation document can be downloaded from the bureau’s website, from the starting day of the consultation – next Monday, in both the Chinese and Portuguese languages.
Pointing out that infertility is a worldwide issue, Leong said that while assisted reproductive technology can bring hope for childless couples, at the same time it raises issues of ethics and morality – such as parents choosing a baby’s gender.
Leong said that the inadequate provision of assisted reproductive technology could result in a serious risk of harm to residents’ health, adding that therefore it was necessary to have strict requirements for professional qualifications and medical facilities providing such services.
Leong said that neighbouring regions, such as the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan, have specific legislation to regulate assisted reproductive technology. She said that while her bureau published guidelines in May on the use of assisted reproductive technology, the guidelines were still not able to solve the problems resulting from such techniques, such as donation of eggs and sperm, and their conservation, pre-implantation genetic diagnosis.
According to Leong, the government-drafted bill proposes that assisted reproductive technology is a supplementary method of procreation, rather than an alternative method of procreation.
