Sexual intercourse between consenting adults and the ingestion of beef steaks and pork chops will be banned under the Government's proposed legislation amending the Hazardous Substances & New Organisms Bill, the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee was told today.

These assertions were contained in a public submission from Diabetes Youth, presented by Crystal Beavis, revealed ACT New Zealand Deputy Leader and Select Committee member Ken Shirley.

"I think the submission re-emphasises the fact that the Government is proposing a ridiculously restrictive regime that will curtail pioneering medical research in New Zealand and deny diabetes sufferers access to effective treatment.

"The development of this proposed legislative is a scandal, with a hastily drafted Supplementary Order Paper banning xeno transplantation (the transfer of material between different species) being dumped on the public last Christmas eve.

"Xeno transplantation is not genetic modification but rather includes treatments such as the release of insulin producing pancreatic cells from specially bred disease free pigs into diabetes sufferers. The benefits are enormous and clinical trials have been spectacularly successful.

"I am advised that the Government advisors who considered the application by Diatranz, a company developing this technology, while holding expertise in gene technology, did not have expertise in virology.

"Moreover Diabetes Youth had attempted to make a submission to the Royal Commission but were told in writing by the Commission that xeno transplantation was outside their brief because it did not use genetic modification.

"We now have a Government closing down this leading edge innovative medical research through retrospective legislation that has the effect of cancelling a statutory appeal. It seems this issue is not argued on scientific grounds but rather the Government does not want to open the issue and confront the non-scientific metaphysical objections emanating from the Greens and Maori," Ken Shirley said.

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