Human Reproductive Technologies and the Law

Approximately 1% of births in the UK were conceived using IVF. At present IVF and embryo research are controlled by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority which was formed by a 1990 Act, since then scientific progress has been rapid and the Department of Health has announced a review of that Act. This extensive inquiry will inform that review. It covers: regulation of assisted reproduction, problems with HFE Act; the operation of the Act; provision of infertility services; review of the Act; legislative and regulatory models. It makes recommendations on issues such as choosing the sex of babies; the need for a separate review of abortion; the regulatory bodies required; and a legislative framework that balances the freedom of the individual with the interests of the state, so that any intervention has a sound ethical base.