Revisiting the Regulation of Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Biomedical Law and Ethics Library)

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 was a major update to the UK’s laws on the use and regulation of reproductive technology and assisted reproduction. Since the enactment of the new law, the sector’s regulatory body, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), has also consulted on various related topics including barriers to egg and sperm donation in the UK, multiple births/single embryo transfer and using IVF technology to prevent mitochondrial disease. This book critically considers recent developments in human fertilisation legislation, asking whether the 2008 Act has achieved its stated aim of being fit for purpose. Bringing together a range of international experts, the book evaluates the fresh risks and challenges emerging from both established and existing technologies and techniques in the field of human fertilisation and embryology, as well as offering valuable insights into the social and regulatory challenges that lie ahead. Key topics include problems with DIY assisted conception; the lack of reform in respect of the regulation of surrogacy arrangements; and mitochondrial DNA transfer. As a review of the status of assisted reproduction legislation, this book will be of great use and interest to students, researchers and practitioners in medical law, bioethics, medicine and child welfare. Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 6 Copyright......Page 7 Contents......Page 8 Preface......Page 10 Notes on contributors......Page 13 1. Revisiting the regulation of human fertilisation and embryology......Page 18 2. From need ‘for a father’ to need ‘for supportive parenting’: Changing conceptualisations of the welfare of the child following assisted reproductive technology in the United Kingdom......Page 29 3. The law and DIY assisted conception......Page 48 4. Prisoners’ access to fertility services......Page 67 5. Thinking outside the (egg) box: Egg-share agreements, cord blood and ‘benefits-in-kind’......Page 82 6. PGD past, present and future: Is the HFE Act 1990 now ‘fit for purpose’?......Page 97 7. The ‘three parent’ misnomer: Mitochondrial DNA donation under the HFE Act......Page 115 8. The fertility treatment time forgot: What should be done about surrogacy in the UK?......Page 134 9. Access to genetic and biographical history in donor conception: An analysis of recent trends and future possibilities......Page 153 10. Compensating reproductive harms in the regulation of twenty-first century assisted conception......Page 170 11. ‘A less than perfect law’: The unfulfilled promise of Canada’s Assisted Human Reproduction Act......Page 187 12. The regulation of PGD for medical sex selection and the gendering of disability in the UK and Australia......Page 202 13. New wine in old bottles and old wine in new bottles: The judicial response to international commercial surrogacy in the UK and Australia......Page 217 Index......Page 233 "The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 was a major update to the UK's laws on the use reproductive technology and regulation of assisted reproduction. This was legislation which, according to the minister responsible, would ensure that the law remains effective and fit for purpose in the early 21st century. Since the enactment of the new law, the sector's regulatory body, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), has also consulted on various related topics including barriers to egg and sperm donation in the UK, multiple births/single embryo transfer, and using IVF technology to prevent mitochondrial disease with a view to publishing recommendations. This book critically evaluates the recent developments, asking whether the Act has achieved the stated aim of being 'fit for purpose' or, if not, what should be done to improve it. The book looks at various aspects of the law and ethics of human fertilisation and embryology and topics covered include: problems with DIY assisted conception; attribution of legal parenthood in cases of surrogacy; mitochondrial DNA transfer; as well as chapters which compare the UK's regulation to the situation in Canada and Australia. It brings together a range of experts in order to evaluate the fresh risks and challenges emerging from both established and existing technologies and techniques in the field of human fertilisation and embryology, as well as offering valuable insights into the social and regulatory challenges that lie ahead."-- Provided by publisher