Kedgley Sue: Human Assisted Reproductive Technology Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee 
Kedgley Sue: Human Assisted Reproductive Technology Bill — Instruction to Committee In Committee 
[Volume:620;Page:15918] 
SUE KEDGLEY (Green) 
: 
 Well I am not sure why Mr Franks is so exercised about this bill because I think that—[ 
Interruption 
] Mr Franks is implying that this bill sets stringent regulations on these various issues. If he looks at the fine print he will find that it does no such thing—that in fact some rather wiffly-waffly guidelines around these various things—[ 
Interruption 
] Mr Chairperson I seek your protection. I am unable to hear myself think because of the shouting in my right ear. 
The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Clem Simich) 
: I will protect the member. 
SUE KEDGLEY 
: The point is that far from having strict regulation we will have instead some wiffly-waffly guidelines that will set policy in far-reaching areas—areas such as embryo splitting and the derivation of gametes from deceased persons. We will actually have that unelected and unaccountable committee setting policy in areas that the ordinary New Zealander will have very very strong views and feelings about. In fact an unelected and unaccountable committee will be making those far-reaching decisions and setting guidelines—guidelines that if existing guidelines are any indication will be extremely vague. So Mr Franks need not be worried. I think that most people will find a way around those guidelines. I suspect that most of the guidelines will not even be enforceable. 
I want to mention that the Green Party has a couple of amendments to this part. One is to tighten up the rules around preimplantation genetic diagnosis and to prevent it from being used to select embryos for reasons other than preventing serious genetic diseases or increasing the likelihood of implantation. We strongly support the use of embryo selection techniques such as preimplantation genetic diagnosis to help couples who carry genes for disorders such as Huntingdon’s disease cystic fibrosis and so forth. But we are strongly opposed to the use of that particular technology for social or eugenic purposes. 
The problem is that in the way the bill is currently drafted it could be used to allow people to select embryos for any other genetic characteristic except sex. Now Mr Franks will not be worried about that but I have an article here in which James Watson a biologist who has been very involved in this area stirred some controversy in the United States recently by saying that if a gene for homosexuality were discovered a woman should be free to abort a foetus that carried it or to select such an embryo. That created something of an uproar but the truth of the matter is that it would be left to that particular unelected and accountable committee to make far-reaching decisions such as that. 
The National Ethics Committee on Assisted Human Reproduction put out some guidelines on preimplantation genetic diagnosis and if anyone had concerns about the guidelines of the advisory committee these guidelines from the ethics committee would enhance those concerns. They are not only extremely vague but they set down few stipulations. They state: “Preimplantation genetic diagnosis for conditions that are not covered here can be approved on a case-by-case basis.” In other words that committee is basically saying that it will be possible to use the technology to select desirable traits in off-spring and screen out undesirable traits on a case-by-case basis—so it leaves it wide open. With our amendment therefore we want to make it absolutely clear that embryo selection techniques such as those can be used only to prevent serious genetic diseases or disorders and that they cannot be used to improve athletic performance or whatever. 
I note that the United Kingdom has regulations around preimplantation genetic diagnosis which once again of course are much much tighter than ours. The UK allows only a very limited number of licensed clinics to use the technology and then only for severe and life-threatening disorders.