The independent commentary on British political affairs.
The independent commentary on British political affairs.
May 2008
Vol. 11, No. 11
A People's War: Brenda Boardman | The shadow over Brown's plan's to change the way we are governed: … More…
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The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill announced in the Queen’s Speech and introduced in the House of Lords on November 8, 2007 consists of three distinct parts.
Part one amends the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 to take into account developments in both medical research and reproductive medicine and update the regulatory powers of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) accordingly.
One of the more contentious aspects of the draft Bill that will undoubtedly continue to spark debate is its capacity to widen the boundaries of permissible research on embryos to the creation of ‘cybrids’ (embryos created by inserting human genetic material into a non-human animal egg) for legitimate research purposes.
This is a change from the government white paper, published in December 2006, which advised against allowing the creation of cybrids.
There is reason to believe that research using cybrids could eventually lead to breakthrough treatments for diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Teams from Newcastle University and King’s College, London have already submitted applications to HFEA for research projects using cybrid embryos.
The Bill also redefines permitted research using embryos to include research that will increase knowledge on serious medical conditions (such as tissue damage) in addition to research that advances our understanding of serious disease.
Part two of the Bill addresses issues to do with parenthood in the context of assisted reproduction. In addition to providing legal definitions for ‘mother’ and ‘father’, the Bill enables a mother’s female partner to be named as the second parent. The Bill further clarifies parenthood in cases of arranged surrogacy.
Part three addresses practical issues with regard to implementing changes introduced in Parts one and two.
Noticeably absent from this new Bill is Part one of the Human Tissues and Embryos (Draft) Bill, published for consultation in May 2007, which would have combined the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority with the Human Tissue Authority to create a single body called the Regulatory Authority for Tissue and Embryos.
Lauren Leigh Hinthorne, Research Department, Parliamentary Brief.