HFEA says effective consent must be given by both the man and woman for use of embryos in IVF treatment

The Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority (HFEA) has welcomed the Court of Appeal judgment today which confirms that effective consent must be given by both the man providing the sperm and the woman providing the eggs to allow storage and subsequent use of their embryos in IVF treatment.

Legally, clinics must have consent from both parties to continue to store embryos and to use them in IVF treatment. If either party withdraws their consent before the embryos have been used, the clinics must allow the embryos to perish.

The Court of Appeal has held that an embryo is "used" once implanted in a woman. Consent can therefore be withdrawn by either party up to that point.

Once a man or woman has withdrawn their consent, the HFEA requires the clinic to take all reasonable steps to inform both parties either in writing or by telephone that the embryos are going to be destroyed.

Comments

The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of News Medical.
Post a new comment
Post

While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for medical information you must always consult a medical professional before acting on any information provided.

Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their privacy principles.

Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.

Read the full Terms & Conditions.

You might also like...
IVF transfer day does not impact overall success rates, study reveals