The NSW government released
its draft Reproductive Technology Bill just before
Christmas. (go to www.pco.nsw.gov.au
click on exposure drafts and then you will find the
draft plus an information guide).
It is with extreme sadness and also anger that I
have to report that after all our years of hard work
and thinking we had been listened to, we have found
that the NSW government has decided not to include
a voluntary register for those people born from donor
conception.
The legislation will only provide for those born
after it is enacted (which will not be before 2005).
Those offspring will get:
- A central register run by the NSW health department
where clinics will send their donor records and
future donor offspring will be able to access identifying
information about their donors when they reach the
age of 18 years.
What will happen to our children’s
records?
What will it mean for them?
- Clinics will still keep their old records; they
are not to be sent to the central register. The
current situation will continue where a few clinics
are being very helpful in tracing donors but other
clinics are not interested or are not willing to
put resources into this. We even have some clinics
where parents can get no information at all because
the clinic has closed or will do nothing to help
them.
Victorian legislation provides for a voluntary register
where parents, donors and offspring can share information.
The UK government has just introduced a national voluntary
register (www.ukdonorlink.org.uk)
Why can’t the NSW government
do the same? Is it money saving? Are they worried
about the sharing of information and what it may show?
We must all send a strong message to the people who
will be making decisions about this legislation that
we need changes to be made.
What can we do to change the situation?
The answer is quite a lot and none of it difficult.
You can help in 3 different ways, the more you do
the better.
- A form letter is been included on this web site,
click here, that you
can sign and send to the NSW Health Minister, Mr
Morris Iemma (or email it to alison.mclaren@health.minister.nsw.gov.au).
BUT
it would be so much better if you could write your
own, it would have much more impact, write from
the heart.
- Send a submission to the Health Department (follow
the links at the top of this article to see what
to do). Click
here for some suggestions about what to put
in your own submission or letter.
- Those who live in NSW should also send a copy
of their letter to their State MP, or even request
a meeting with him or her so that you can explain
the importance of this to you and ask your MP to
support your position and lobby on your behalf.
It is essential that everyone in the DCSG write to
the NSW government to express their extreme sadness
and insist that the legislation be changed to provide
for those donor offspring already in existence. Even
if you live in a state that has a voluntary register
such as Victoria or WA let the NSW government know
that you are glad your government has seen the importance
of such a register.
Remember:
Anyone can write a letter or submission, the more
communications the government gets the more chance
we have of changing things; so ask friends, relatives
even children to voice their opinions. The government
takes your letters very seriously but we need everyone
to write so that our voice is heard loudly and clearly.
What is important is to do it now! This will be your
last opportunity to change the proposed legislation,
don’t let your children and family down! |
