The state government is delivering a number of assisted reproductive treatment [ART] reforms to help Victorians, including those in Maribyrnong and Hobsons Bay, to start or build their families.
The updated reforms will mean prospective parents can meet with any counsellor who meets the prescribed requirements, instead of just those who are based at registered ART clinics, to receive the counselling required before artificial insemination.
The change will make it easier for rural and regional Victorians, as well as give prospective parents more freedom to choose their own counsellor.
The new reforms also provide more certainty for those opting for donor conception and provide them with more input over how the embryo is managed.
The aim of the reforms is to provide Victorians with better access to safer, high-quality, discrimination-free treatment.
Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said the reforms will make ART counsellors more accessible for all by removing barriers to people starting or expanding their families.
“These amendments are an important part of ensuring Victoria’s assisted reproductive treatment laws are fair, up to date and reflect the expectations of our modern community,” she said.
