These explanatory notes relate to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 which received Royal Assent on 13 November 2008. They have been prepared by the Department of Health in order to assist the reader of the Act. They do not form part of the Act and have not been endorsed by Parliament.
The single greatest change to affect the UK fertility sector in nearly two decades will take place tomorrow, Thursday 1 October, as the new Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 (as amended) comes into force. Changes which will come into effect with the new legislation include: * increasing the length of time people can store their embryos * a ‘cooling off’ period if one partner withdraws consent for embryo storage * extending information access rights for donor conceived people and donors * opening the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority’s (HFEA) Register for research * introducing supportive parenting into the welfare of the child provisions * banning sex selection for non medical reasons * clarifying the scope of embryo research
Most women who travel from the United Kingdom to other countries for infertility treatment do so because of the long wait and shortage of donor gametes at home, show the results of a survey of “fertility tourists” from the UK. Of 51 women interviewed for the ongoing research project, more than 70% needed donor treatment, most of them with donor eggs or embryos but some with donated sperm, the principal investigator, Lorraine Culley, told a conference in London.