Human Tissue and Embryos Act - Update

The Government has published it's response to the Joint Committee's recommendations. It is welcoming that the Government appears to reject the need for the for a requirement for a second parent in lieu of a father. However, they have not totally rejected the idea of printing the fact that a child has been donor conceived on the birth certificate and stated that they will keep this under review (See previous blog Labelling Our Children;

69. The idea of including ‘by donation’ on donor-conceived children’s
birth certificates is a matter that has been raised in the past. The
Warnock Committee stated: ‘We are of the view that consideration should be
given as a matter of urgency to making it possible for the parents in
registering the birth to add “by donation” after the man’s name.’ The Government’s position to date is that it is preferable that parents are
educated about the benefits of telling children that they were donor-conceived rather than forcing the issue through the annotation of birth certificates.
70. However, this is a sensitive area and the Government
recognises the Committee’s concern, as well as the importance of allowing
donor-conceived people access to information about their genetic background.
We believe that the issues need to be considered carefully, including
constructive dialogue with stakeholders, and we will keep the matter under
review.

Lets hope that the right stakeholders are consulted - including the children!