Prohibited activities Prohibited activities, defined in sections 5 to 9 of the
Act, are AHR activities that Parliament has determined to be ethically unacceptable or incompatible with Canadian values, or to pose significant risks to the health, safety and values of Canadians. These activities are not allowed in Canada. Prohibitions include: • Creating an
in vitro embryo for any purpose other than creating a human being or improving or providing instruction in assisted reproduction procedures • Human cloning. • Pre-selecting or increasing the probability that an embryo will be a particular sex (except to prevent a sex-linked genetic condition). • Transplanting a sperm, egg, embryo or foetus of a non-human life form into a human being, or using a sperm, egg, or
in vitro embryo that was transplanted into a non-human life form to create a human being • Creating a hybrid for the purpose of reproduction, or transplanting a hybrid into a human being or non-human life form • Creating a chimera for any purpose, or transplanting a chimera into a human being or non-human life form • Using gametes or
in vitro embryos without the consent of the donor of the gametes or embryo • Obtaining gametes from a person under 18 years of age (except for own use preservation purposes) • Paying, offering to pay, or advertising payment for sperm, eggs or
in vitro embryos from donors or for the services of surrogate mothers (including payment to a third party for arranging for the services of a surrogate mother) This last prohibition prevents the "commercialization" of human reproduction in Canada. While the
Act currently allows donors and surrogate mothers to be reimbursed for legitimate expenses,
Health Canada is developing specific regulations about what constitutes a legitimate expenditure.
Controlled activities Controlled activities, set out in sections 10 to 12 of the
Act, are AHR activities permitted if performed in accordance with regulations and by a licensed clinic or individual in licensed premises. However, section 10, which addressed the "use of human reproductive material," and section 11, which addressed "transgenics," were ruled
ultra vires. Section 12, which addresses the "reimbursement of expenditures" for providing gametes and surrogacy services, is
intra vires but is not yet in force. ==References==