UK government asks the public to review fertilisation and embryology legislation
A consultation is underway in the UK on the technology and techniques used to assist human reproduction. When the UK's current regulations were put in place, IVF was still fairly new. Now the procedure is commonplace, and new techniques such as embryo screening and tissue typing are now potentially available to patients. The aim of the consultation is to strike a new balance, reflecting the changes, between reproductive freedom and responsibility. 'The UK has led the way in developing the latest reproductive technologies and our system of regulation is admired across the world,' said Public Health Minister Caroline Flint, launching the consultation. 'The HFE [human fertilisation and embryology] Act was a landmark piece of legislation which has stood the test of time well. However, we never expected that the Act would remain forever unchanged in the face of major developments in science and medicine,' she said. Research involving embryos remains one of the most controversial areas dealt with by the HFE Act. In passing the HFE Act, Parliament decided to allow embryo research subject to statutory controls, with Members of Parliament voting according to conscience and the government adopting a neutral stance. In 2001, Parliament voted to extend the purposes for which embryo research could be undertaken, deciding that the creation and use of embryos for research, subject to appropriate restrictions and safeguards, should be allowed to take place if it may increase understanding about human diseases and disorders and their cell-based treatments. In announcing the review of the HFE Act, the Government made clear that it does not intend to open up the most fundamental aspects of the Act to discussion, or those aspects that have been debated in recent years. The consultation therefore considers research issues from that point onwards, such as the specific restrictions in the Act that relate to research, and how approval and oversight mechanisms should be structured. For example, the consultation invites views on removing the current prohibition on replacing a nucleus of a cell of an embryo with a nucleus taken from the cell of any person, another embryo or a subsequent development of an embryo· for research purposes, and on whether the law should permit altering the genetic structure of an embryo for research purposes, subject to licensing. Human-animal hybrids and chimeras are also addressed. 'This is the first time ever that we have publicly consulted on these issues and I very much hope that the public will help us tackle these vital questions so that we continue to reap the benefits of the latest scientific developments within a system that continues to inspire public confidence,' said Ms Flint.
Countries
United Kingdom