The ethical issues for donor conceived people
Photo:
CHRISTOPH BURGSTEDT/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/ AFP
A couple of weeks ago, we covered a story about the ethics of sperm donors fathering up to 80 children each.
That happened in the Netherlands where several clinics breached guidelines.
A fertility industry conference held in Singapore last weekend considered some of the ethical issues for donor conceived people themselves.
Among the delegates were Associate Professor of Psychology at AUT, Sonja Goedeke and co-founder of
Donor Conceived Aotearoa
Sophie Turner.
Their work focuses on including the needs and perspectives of donor conceived people - as part of ethical practices, with evidence suggesting transparency and counselling for recipient parents and donors is essential.
Susie started by asking Sonja what the ethical issues being discussed for donor conceived people at the moment.
This audio is not downloadable due to copyright restrictions.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
2 hours ago
- RNZ News
NZ population likely to reach 6 million by 2040
Photo: RNZ New Zealand's population is likely to reach six million before 2040, from the current 5.3 million, according to latest projections. Stats NZ estimates two thirds of that growth will come from from international migration. The projections released on Wednesday showed the population growing to about 7 million by 2060, and potentially nearly 8 million by the late 2070s. Under a scenario with no migrant arrivals or departures, the population would peak in the early 2040s and then start to fall as deaths outnumber births. "New Zealand's net migration has fluctuated widely from year to year," Stats NZ's Victoria Treliving said. "But international migration has been the main contributor to New Zealand's population growth this century, and this is projected to continue." The scenario of no migration in or out of New Zealand was unlikely, but helped show the impact of migration on population growth, Treliving said. "Natural increase is no longer the main driver of New Zealand's population growth." A much older population is also predicted, with the number aged 65 and over likely to reach one-million by 2029. "The number of people aged 65 years and over is currently increasing by more than 500 people a week," Treliving said. One in six New Zealanders is in that age group at present, and by the mid-2030s this would be one in five. The median projection assumes on average:
RNZ News
3 hours ago
- RNZ News
98 road cone reports on hotline's first day
Photo: Photo / 123RF WorkSafe received 98 reports on the first day of its road cone hotline. The 12-month pilot got underway on Tuesday, as part of the government's broader overhauls to health and safety. The workplace relations and safety minister Brooke van Velden has shifted WorkSafe's focus from enforcement to advice , telling the agency to work with businesses and individuals to manage risks. Her letter of expectation told WorkSafe to establish the hotline for businesses and individuals to report excessive road cone use traffic management requirements, with follow-up inspections where necessary. A WorkSafe spokesperson said as at 4:30pm on Tuesday, it had received 98 reports. Van Velden said the road cone policy would be the most "front-facing" that people would see, as most people were not going onto dangerous work sites. She said there were originally suggestions of a road cone phone line, but she went against it and suggested a digital system as it would need fewer resources and staffing. "I want people when they're out on the streets, taking their kids to school or heading to work, to know that if they see a roadcone... it's there for harm. Whereas at the moment, there are so many road cones that people are ignoring them." Transport minister Chris Bishop said the use of road cones was regulated in various ways, but NZTA had a role to play. "NZTA is not responsible for all the roads around the country. They're responsible for State Highways, but often people have road cone issues on local roads, which are the responsibility of the contractor, who's ultimately responsible to the local council, who sets the rules around that," he said. "There's temporary traffic management in place around particular events, which has been and can be quite overzealous." Bishop said there would continue to be cones on the road, as the government had made significant investments in road maintenance. Labour leader Chris Hipkins was not in favour of the hotline. "It's a total waste of time. Ultimately, WorkSafe should be focused on keeping people alive at work, making sure that all of our workplaces are safe, not worrying about road cones."
RNZ News
a day ago
- RNZ News
'Owners are unable to protect their pets' - fireworks ban petition presented to Parliament
(from left) MPs Greg Fleming and Jenny Marcroft, and Animates' Nathalie Moolenschot, with Frankie the golden doodle in the centre. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone More 90,000 humans - and tens of thousands of animals - have signed a petition in support of a ban on the public sale of fireworks. The Pawprint Petition was presented to Parliament and was received by National MP Greg Fleming. As well as the human signatures, the petition was supplemented by nearly 80,000 additional paw, hoof prints and marks from pets of concerned owners. Petition organisers Animates said loud explosions from the letting off of fireworks - purchased around the celebration of Guy Fawkes night - created "extreme stress", leading to injuries, fatalities and missing animals. They said banning the sale of fireworks was crucial to protect animals from unnecessary fear, distress and harm. A short sale period means people stockpile fireworks that are being lit all throughout the year, say petition organisers. Photo: 123rf The New Zealand Veterinary Association spokesperson Sally Cory said fireworks caused stress and anxiety in pets, livestock, zoo animals and wildlife. "Every year, veterinarians are called to see horses that have been badly injured by panicking and running through fences, attempting to jump out of paddocks, or have run on to roads, endangering themselves and motorists. "Cats and dogs often get anxious and try to flee when fireworks are going off. As a result many each year are injured. Large animals in general suffer from fear and stress related to fireworks and the impact of fireworks on wildlife is also a recognised issue," Corry said. Animates general manager of marketing Nathalie Moolenschot told RNZ the signatures were gathered over six months and the inclusion of the animals pawprints and marks was likely to be "a world's first". "Just having [fireworks] available in New Zealand for sale for a couple of days a year enables people to stockpile them which means that they're being lit all throughout the year. "Owners are unable to protect their pets and livestock during those times," Moolenschot said. She said she was thrilled that the large response to the petition was now a matter of official record. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
