Member of Parliament (MP) for Lambussie and a member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health and the Subsidiary Legislation Committee, Professor Titus Beyuo, says the process of passing the Bill on Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) is at an advanced stage.
Prof. Beyuo, who is also a former General Secretary of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), expressed optimism that the ART Bill would be passed into law during the current session of Parliament.
Speaking at the annual general meeting and scientific conference of the Fertility Society of Ghana (FESGO), he revealed that the Minister of Health was currently working on two key legislative documents, the ART Bill and the Bill on Organ Donation and Transplant Medicine.
“The ART Bill is far advanced. FESGO spent over three years working on it; resources were invested in the process. Many people believe it was laid before Parliament, but the eighth Parliament never saw the Bill because it did not go past Cabinet. However, your work is very advanced,” he said.
He added: “I want to say on authority that I have the permission of the Minister to confirm that he is very committed to passing this Bill. For the ART Bill, the remaining steps include a final round of stakeholder engagement, after which we will prepare a Cabinet brief for presentation to Cabinet.”
He explained that once Cabinet approval is granted, the Bill will be laid before Parliament, where two committees, the Legislative Committee and the Health Committee, will deliberate on it.
According to him, while the process could sometimes be disheartening and discouraging, the best time to act is now. He therefore urged practitioners to continue pushing for the passage of the Bill.
Prof. Beyuo noted that the Minister had established a committee tasked with ensuring that both legal documents are successfully completed and passed.
“Let’s keep pushing, and we will have this law to help regulate our practice,” he urged.
He stressed the need for the right legislative framework to protect the public, practitioners, investors, and all stakeholders.
Prof. Beyuo observed that the world had advanced significantly and that, in Ghana, medical practice in some areas had outpaced legislation, a situation he described as dangerous.
He explained that many people now visit hospitals to inquire about egg preservation as they approach ages 35 to 40 and have not yet married.
Similarly, some young men express concern about declining sperm quality with age and wish to preserve their sperm. However, he said, there is currently no legal framework to address such issues.
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Source: myjoyonline.com
