Blue Jackie: Human Assisted Reproductive Technology (Storage) Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
Blue Jackie: Human Assisted Reproductive Technology (Storage) Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
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Dr JACKIE BLUE (National) 
: 
 I am pleased to speak in the second reading debate on the Human Assisted Reproductive Technology (Storage) Amendment Bill. I would like to make some introductory comments about infertility in New Zealand and about in vitro fertilisation. As members know in vitro fertilisation was first undertaken in New Zealand in 1983 5 years after the first in vitro fertilisation baby Louise Brown was born in England. Since then in vitro fertilisation has become an increasingly common treatment for infertility. It has certainly improved over the last decade or so with drug treatment regimes and egg retrieval mechanisms. There are better fertilisation techniques and better methods of culture cryopreservation and transferred embryos. 
In New Zealand about 15 in every 100 couples have difficulty conceiving a child and about five in every 100 go on to have in vitro fertilisation treatment. We have heard tonight that hundreds and hundreds of in vitro fertilisation babies are born each year to New Zealand couples. It is excellent to know that success rates are increasing all the time. About 50 percent of women under the age of 38 who have in vitro fertilisation treatment become pregnant in their first cycle and that is a fantastic result. For women under the age of 38 the chances of pregnancy increase to over 70 percent after two cycles and to 90 percent after three cycles. These are excellent success rates. 
Unfortunately infertility has been rising in New Zealand and there are a number of reasons for that but it is pleasing to know that treatment centres are available around New Zealand. The causes of infertility are numerous. A common reason is the increased age at which women start a family. Other reasons include obesity levels in men and women sexually transmitted diseases and reduced quality of sperm. 
This amendment bill was introduced because there was uncertainty over when one could dispose of gametes and eggs that had been stored prior to the Human Assisted Reproductive Technology Act coming into force. Although this bill concerns only a technical amendment it was felt that there should be some clarification and this bill clarifies that sperm eggs and embryos stored before 2004 can be stored until 2014. 
I acknowledge the important work of Dianne Yates and the Health Committee during the last Parliament and I acknowledge the comments to the effect that the committee got the original legislation pretty much right. This bill just amends the Act and improves on it. If fertility clinics have clients who wish to extend storage beyond 2014 they will require the approval of the Ethics Committee on Assisted Reproductive Technology before that 10-year storage limit is up.  
The select committee made a number of changes to this bill and these changes have been adopted by the Government. We heard about some of those tonight such as the 6-month grace period in relation to the expiry of the 10-year storage limit and any extensions to it. Importantly during that 6-month grace period any other uses of the material are prohibited. That amendment has been made for more logistical reasons to make it easier for fertility clinics to dispose of gametes and embryos in accumulated lots.  
Another recommendation that was agreed to was that the permitted 10-year storage period for embryos created by stored gametes should run from the earliest storage date of those gametes. Also there is clarification that any storage period outside New Zealand should include a calculation in relation to the 10-year storage limit on gametes and embryos in New Zealand and that was taken into account. This bill is not contentious. The changes and amendments are minor but they will improve the original Act. I commend this bill to the House. Thank you.