Monash University, Wellington Rd, Clayton, Australia.
Biomedical Ethics Research Group, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Australia.
J Bioeth Inq. 2024 Mar;21(1):67-80. doi: 10.1007/s11673-023-10257-4. Epub 2023 Aug 2.
Recently, Australia became the second jurisdiction worldwide to legalize the use of mitochondrial donation technology. The Mitochondrial Donation Law Reform (Maeve's Law) Bill 2021 allows individuals with a family history of mitochondrial disease to access assisted reproductive techniques that prevent the inheritance of mitochondrial disease. Using inductive content analysis, we assessed submissions sent to the Senate Committee as part of a programme of scientific inquiry and public consultation that informed drafting of the Bill. These submissions discussed a range of bioethical and legal considerations of central importance to the political debate. Significantly, submissions from those with a first-hand experience of mitochondrial disease, including clinicians and those with a family history of mitochondrial disease, were in strong support of this legislation. Those in support of the Bill commended the two-staged approach and rigorous licencing requirements as part of the Bill's implementation strategy. Submissions which outlined arguments against the legislation either opposed the use of these techniques in general or opposed aspects of the implementation strategy in Australia. These findings offer a window into the ethical arguments and perspectives that matter most to those Australians who took part in the Senate inquiry into mitochondrial donation. The insights garnered from these submissions may be used to help refine policy and guidelines as the field progresses.
最近，澳大利亚成为全球第二个将线粒体捐赠技术合法化的司法管辖区。2021 年《线粒体捐赠法改革（梅芙法案）》允许有家族线粒体疾病史的个人获得可预防线粒体疾病遗传的辅助生殖技术。本研究采用归纳内容分析法，评估了作为科学调查和公众咨询计划的一部分提交给参议院委员会的意见，该计划为法案的起草提供了信息。这些意见书讨论了对政治辩论具有核心重要性的一系列生物伦理和法律问题。值得注意的是，那些对线粒体疾病有第一手经验的人，包括临床医生和有家族线粒体疾病史的人，都强烈支持这项立法。支持该法案的人称赞该法案的分两个阶段实施和严格的许可要求，这是该法案实施策略的一部分。概述反对该立法的论点的意见书要么反对一般使用这些技术，要么反对澳大利亚实施策略的某些方面。这些发现为那些参与参议院线粒体捐赠调查的澳大利亚人最关心的伦理论点和观点提供了一个窗口。从这些意见书收集到的见解可用于帮助完善该领域的政策和准则。
