XN000022-1988-09-30 — Page 8

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1988

FURTHER CONSIDERATION OF ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION BY DONOR

AT THE SIXTH MEETING OF THE COMMITTEE ON SCIENTIFICALLY ASSISTED HUMAN REPRODUCTION HELD TODAY (FRIDAY), MEMBERS CONTINUED CONSIDER THE ISSUE OF ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION BY DONOR (AID), PARTICULAR WHETHER BANKED SEMEN SHOULD BE USED AND WHETHER A NEED FOR A CENTRAL SEMEN BANK IN HONG KONG.

THERE

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IN

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RECOGNISING THAT THE QUALITY OF SEMEN FROM DONORS, IF USFD FRESH, COULD NOT BE CONTROLLED, MEMBERS RECOMMENDED THAT BANKED SEMEN SHOULD BE USED.

IN ADDITION, THE COMMITTEE ALSO CONCLUDED THAT A CENTRAL YEMEN BANK MIGHT NOT BE PRACTICAL TO PRACTITIONERS, AND A BETTER WAY TO ENSURE CONTROL OF THE BEHAVIOUR OF DONORS WHILE MAINTAINING THRIR CONFIDENTIALITY WOULD BE TO ESTABLISH A CENTRAL REGISTRY OF DONORS.

THE COMMITTEE ALSO DISCUSSED THE ISSUR OF THE NERD FOR A LICENSING AUTHORITY TO CONTROL THE ACTIVITIES OF IN-VITRO FERTILISATION (IVF) AND AID IN HONG KONG.

MEMBERS AGREED THAT SINCE IVF WAS A NEW MEDICAL TECHNIQUE AND FURTHER DEVELOPMENT WAS EXPECTED, AN ON-GOING BODY TO MONITOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND THE RELATED ETHICAL, MORAL AND LEGAL ISSUES IN THE LOCAL CONTEXT AND AN EXECUTIVE ARM TO ISSUE LICENCES TO PRACTITIONERS MIGHT BE NECESSARY. FURTHER CONSIDERATION BY THE COMMITTER WILL 趁这 NECESSARY.

THE CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE, DR LBONG CHE-HUNG NOTED THAT COMMENTS AND OPINIONS RECEIVED BY THE COMMITTEE HAD DIMINISHED SINCE THE LAST MEETING,

"THE COMMITTEE CONTINUES TO WELCOME VIEWS FROM THE PUBLIC ON THEIR PRELIMINARY RECOMMENDATIONS ON SURROGACY, ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION BY DONOR.

"ANY COMMENTS AND OPINIONS CAN BE SENT TO US THROUGH THE HBALTH AND WELFARE BRANCH, GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT, LOWER ALBERT ROAD, HONG KONG," DR LEONG SAID.

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