Draft Bill To Regulate Research On Human Stem Cells And Tissues

30 Oct 2003

The Ministry of Health (MOH) has drafted a new Bill which would further enhance the regulation of human stem cell research and human tissue research and banking. The draft Regulation of Biomedical Research Bill will be put up on the Ministry's website for public consultation and comment from 10 November 2003 to 30 November 2003. This further consultation process, on top of the extensive one carried out by the Bioethics Advisory Committee, will help ensure that the regulations and guidelines are accepted by the community.

The proposed new Regulation of Biomedical Research Act will strictly prohibit reproductive cloning, the creation of a human being through the application of cloning technology. It will also stipulate the requirements for informed consent before researchers can obtain tissues from patients or subjects for research, and safeguards to protect patients' interests.

Explaining the need for the new Bill, Prof Tan Chorh Chuan, MOH's Director of Medical Services, said: "Clear and stringent regulations are critical as more research using human stem cells and tissues is carried out in Singapore because they will ensure that all the work being done here is ethically sound".

The new Bill has its origins in the deliberations and public consultation carried out by the Bioethics Advisory Committee (BAC). Based on the recommendations of the BAC, the Ministry of Health (MOH) was tasked to establish a comprehensive legislative framework and guidelines for the licensing, control and monitoring of all human stem cell and cloning research conducted in Singapore.

Any person who carries out reproductive cloning research or unauthorised stem cell research shall be liable upon conviction to a fine, imprisonment or both.