Lok Sabha Gives Green Signal To The Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill

With the changing lifestyle and fast-moving world, the world is constantly evolving. Amid these changes, one thing that has evolved majorly is the human body. From drinking, smoking, the air we breathe, and bad eating habits – even the bodily functions have started changing.
One of the major concerns that arise with these external and internal changes is reproduction.
Women these days are sometimes unable to conceive properly or continue the pregnancy. That is why many women opt for Assisted Reproductive Technology (ARTs) like IVF.
After plenty of discussions, arguments, and proposals, Lok Sabha has finally passed The Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill on December 1, 2021. This bill was initiated to establish a national registry and registration authority for every clinic and all the medical professionals working in this domain.

Infertility is a common stigma in our country. Any act or bill passed by the government should ensure no difficulty in the accessibility to the treatment. However, of course, with the mushrooming of IVF centers, it is a matter of worry that the level of care that patients and donors need must be maintained, Dr Kaberi Banerjee said.

The medical professionals say that this law will ensure that every clinic sets standards wherein patients and donors will not be admitted for any procedure without proper precautions, facilities, counselling, and consents. "On the whole, it makes the provision of these facilities safe for the public and standardised. However, the implementation should be done in such a way so that ART services do not get restricted,'' Dr Banerjee mentioned.

According to the doctors working in this domain, the bill will regulate IVF practice in India and prevent mushrooming of unauthorised IVF Clinics. The bill will ensure that clinics have the basic requirements of embryologists and clinicians, which will be full-time and the laboratory infrastructure machinery. Also, with the enforcement of this bill, patients will be offered the best treatment and will not be treated by untrained people in this field.
One of the crucial things that would come with this bill is that now the number of attempts an egg donor can give her eggs will be fixed, and commercial egg donation will be stopped. The bill has also requested that ART banks be started, and there will be a national and state regulatory
body to ensure the governance of all IVF centers.

Dr Banerjee also mentioned, ‘The healthcare professionals suggest that the bill aims to ensure proper treatment is provided to the public in general, but how these will be implemented will be a challenge for the government and stakeholders.

Also Read: Explained: The Assisted Reproductive Technology Regulation (ART) Bill 2020