British Fertility Society response to the DoH
review of the HFE Act
14 December 2006
Statement from Allan Pacey, BFS Secretary
As a first reaction, I'd say that this is a reasonable set of
proposals, although there is a sense that the Government has been
quite conservative and has missed an opportunity to be more radical
and forward thinking. As we now work to a very high standards of
clinical governance, there's a good case for regulations being
less strict than they were when the laws were first drafted in
1990. The Government's proposals are largely in keeping with the
BFS view as expressed in our response to the consultation process.
There are areas of the White Paper where we will have specific
concerns, but there are also areas where we can support the proposals
without reservations. For example, we're pleased with the proposals
on confidentiality relating to access to data for research purposes,
and the regulation of internet sperm services. The British Fertility
Society represents a wide body of opinion, and we will need some
time to digest the proposals to allow us to give a more considered
view. Of course we will discuss the proposals fully before responding
on behalf of the whole membership.
Ends
Note that the BFS's response to the initial consultation can be
found at:
http://www.fertility.org.uk/practicepolicy/documents/05_11_BFS%20Response%20-%20DH%20consultation.pdf
For more information: please contact the British Fertility Society press office
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