Review of the A.R.T. Act 1988

About

This engagement has concluded

Update 29/11/2017: The Government Response to the Assisted Reproductive Treatment Act Review is now available. Click here (273 KB) to read the response.

We want your feedback regarding the operation and effectiveness of changes made to the South Australian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Act 1988 in 2010.

What's happening?

In 2009, the South Australian Government introduced significant changes to the Assisted Reproductive Treatment Act 1988 (SA) (PDF, 92KB) (the Act) via the Reproductive Technology (Clinical Practices) (Miscellaneous) Amendment Act 2009. Changes to the Act came into effect on 1 September 2010. To ensure that those changes were evaluated over time, the Government included a requirement that the operation and effectiveness of the Act be reviewed after the fifth anniversary of the changes to the Act. The review of the Act is now due.

What is the review about and how is it happening?

The Minister for Health has appointed Associate Professor Sonia Allan, an expert in the regulation of assisted reproductive treatment and donor conception, to conduct the review and we want you to get involved in the discussion by telling us about your experiences.

The review will focus upon the operation and effectiveness of the Act in relation to:

• the requirement that the welfare of any child born as a consequence of assisted reproductive treatment (A.R.T.) is to be treated as being of paramount importance, and accepted as a fundamental principle, in respect of the operation of the Act, as well as in the provision of assisted reproductive treatment;
• the replacement of the previous licensing scheme with a registration scheme for A.R.T. clinics;
• the dissolution of the SA Council on Reproductive Technology and its Code of Ethical Clinical Practice;
• amending eligibility for access to A.R.T. services—noting that such conditions relate to the circumstances in which, and to whom, A.R.T. may be provided;
• allowing for the establishment of a donor conception register; and
• provisions for record keeping and confidentiality.

The review will include examination of research and practice, and invite public submissions relevant to the above matters. This YourSAy page is part of this call for submissions.

How can your input help?

Your input will help inform the review by giving us insight into the Act’s operation and effectiveness. We are interested to hear your views on, and experiences of, what happens under the Act and how it works as a whole. Your input can help shape any recommendations made about the regulation of assisted reproductive treatment in South Australia.

Who do we want to hear from?

We want to hear from as many people as possible. This may include people who have used assisted reproductive treatment (whether resulting in a child or not, and whether or not donor conception was used), people wanting to access assisted reproduction, sperm donors, egg donors, embryo donors, donor-conceived people, people conceived using assisted reproduction, non-government organisations, clinicians, counsellors, technicians, government organisations, regulators, academics, lawyers, members of the public, etc.

Want to know more?

Download the Act (PDF, 92KB) and Regulations (PDF, 26KB).

Here are a few Fact Sheets concerning the Act and areas of review:

• Fact Sheet 1: Introduction to the Review (PDF, 245KB)
• Fact Sheet 2: Paramountcy of the Welfare of the Child (PDF, 290KB)
• Fact Sheet 3: Registration Scheme for A.R.T. Clinics (PDF, 250KB)
• Fact Sheet 4: Dissolution of SA Council on Reproductive Technology, and its Code of Ethical Clinical Practice (PDF, 225KB)
• Fact Sheet 5: Access to Assisted Reproductive Treatment (PDF, 215KB)
• Fact Sheet 6: Establishment of a Donor Register (PDF, 735KB)
• Fact Sheet 7: Record Keeping and Confidentiality (PDF, 370KB)

The above Fact Sheets provide further information regarding the review. They also pose questions that may assist you to inform the review.

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Ethical guidelines on the use of Assisted Reproductive Technology in clinical practice and research (2007) can be found here.

The Conditions of Registration for South Australian A.R.T. registered providers can be found here.

The Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee Code of Practice can be found here.

How to get involved

There are lots of ways you can get involved in the discussion:

• complete the online submission form
• email your submission to A/Prof Sonia Allan: HealthPolicyLegislation@sa.gov.au (Subject heading of “A.R.T. Act Review”)
• post your submission to A/Prof Sonia Allan: A.R.T. Act Review, c/-Policy and Intergovernment Relations Unit, SA Health, PO Box 287, Rundle Mall, ADELAIDE SA 5000
• join the online discussion.

Confidential submissions will be accepted. Submissions that are not marked confidential will be posted on the YourSAy website and the author may be referred to by name in the report. Anonymous submissions cannot be accepted.

Please provide your submission by 15 April 2016.

How will your input be used?

Once Associate Professor Sonia Allan has completed the review, she will produce a report, which will include recommendations regarding the regulation of assisted reproductive treatment in South Australia. Your input can help shape her recommendations in the report. The report will be tabled in Parliament and be made publically available and the recommendations will be considered by the Minister for Health.

A link to the report will be available on this site or at the SA Health website at www.sahealth.sa.gov.au after the finalisation of the review.

Have more questions?

Contact us and continue the conversation:

• SA Health website: www.sahealth.sa.gov.au
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/sahealth
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/SAHealth
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sa-health
• Hashtag: #ARTActReview
• Email: healthpolicylegislation@sa.gov.au
• Post: A.R.T. Act Review, Policy and Intergovernment Relations Unit, SA Health, PO Box 287, Rundle Mall, ADELAIDE SA 5000