Revised assisted reproduction legislation

On 14 December 2006 the Department of Health published a White Paper outlining the Government's proposals for revision of the law on assisted human reproduction and embryo research. The proposals follow a public consultation exercise on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 and include a statutory ban on sex selection for non-medical reasons, explicit rules for embryo screening and more scope for embryo research. The document also details proposals for a new Regulatory Authority for Tissue and Embryos (RATE) which will replace the existing regulators the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) and the Human Tissue Authority (HTA). Review of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act is available online at www.dh.gov.uk.