The Bioethics Council & Pre-Birth Testing
Toi te Taiao: the Bioethics Council will shortly begin working on an issue which touches the lives of many, many whanau: pre-birth testing.
Most babies born in New Zealand are tested when they were foetuses during their mother’s pregnancy. Some IVF babies are tested when they were embryos outside the mother using pre-implantation genetic diagnoses (PGD).
There are pre-birth tests for identifying all sorts of possible illnesses, diseases and physical disorders such as cystic fibroses, down syndrome and HIV.
Many of these tests are well known, for example, amniocentesis and ultra sound. Other tests, such as pre-implantation genetic diagnoses (PGD) are less well known.
What we do know is that the range of things we are able to test for is expanding. How far we might go with pre-birth testing, who has the right to decide and what the consequences might be are very important questions.
The Bioethics Council is committed to giving effect to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi. It is vital that any work around pre-birth testing considers the views of tangata whenua.
We Need You!
‘Framing’ Pre-birth testing
We are looking for people who can spend a day with 8-10 others to help us identify all the possible points-of-view the public might have on pre-birth testing. Each group will take these diverse points-of-view and build them into a framework of 3 or 4 approaches. We will then take these approaches to the wider public for deliberation.
Framing exercises are planned for the second-half of July in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch as well as in the lower North Island and the Hawkes Bay.
Public Deliberation
We are also looking for people for the public deliberation in October or November 2007. Details are yet to be finalised but it is likely these events will be held around the country and will last about 3 hours. There will also be an opportunity to deliberate using a new on-line forum.
Expressions of interest
To register your interest in taking part in:
- a framing exercise in late July
- the public deliberation in October/November
- both the framing exercises and the public deliberation
Send an e-mail to:
john.pennington@mfe.govt.nz
or
phone (04) 439 7673.
Yours sincerely
John Pennington
Programme Leader, Toi te Taiao: the Bioethics Council
