Submission by Bioethics Council to ACART on embryo research

March 2007

In 2006 The Bioethics Council decided to consider the use of human embryos for research. However it was mindful that the Human Assisted Reproductive Technology Act (HART Act) established the Advisory Committee on Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ACART). ACART is an independent advisory committee, which formulates advice and guidelines for the regulation of assisted human reproduction. ACART is required to undertake extensive public consultation before issuing advice or finalising guidelines.

ACART must advise the Minister by June 2007 whether gamete and embryo research should be undertaken in New Zealand and, if so, under what conditions. In preparing this advice, ACART must take account of the views of New Zealanders, by way of consultation, based on responses to a discussion paper.

In order to avoid public confusion between the respective roles of the Council and ACART it was decided that the Council would not undertake public dialogue events in the form developed for previous projects. Instead it contracted a research company to conduct focus groups, facilitated an online dialogue, organised a public seminar and arranged a public information campaign. All of these encouraged the public to engage with ACART’s processes and to make submissions to ACART in due course.

The views heard by the Council informed this submission, which was made to ACART on 2 March 2007.

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