WELLINGTON, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The New Zealand Advisory Committee on Assisted Reproductive Technology (ACART) announced on Tuesday the release of a stage one consultation on policy options, which could allow people to use fertility treatment in the event that one of their loved ones dies.
The current Guidelines on the Use, Storage and Disposal of Sperm from a Deceased Man, written in 2000, are out of date and do not address a number of potential fertility treatment options that are now clinically feasible and requested by the public, such as the use of eggs that have been frozen prior to a woman's death, ACART Chairperson Gillian Ferguson said in a statement.
ACART is reviewing the current guidelines on posthumous reproduction to take into account sperm, eggs and embryos, rather than just sperm, because these existing guidelines apply only to the posthumous use of sperm that was retrieved prior to a man's death, Ferguson said.
ACART is proposing to expand the scope of the guidelines so that all relevant issues are covered. In particular, ACART believes that new guidelines should address the use of eggs after a woman's death, and that the legality of retrieving gametes (sperm and eggs) from a deceased person should be clear.
"We are seeking public feedback on the policy options and rationale for those policies," Ferguson said, adding the deadline for feedback is Sept. 3.