The draft Bill was published in May 2007 as Command paper Cm 7087 (ISBN 9780101708722). Vol. 1 of this report is also available (ISBN 9780104011348)

The Government set out detailed policy proposals for changes to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 in its White Paper (Cm.6989, ISBN 9780101698924) published in December 2006. These proposed changes to the law and regulation relating to human reproductive technologies, following on from a public consultation exercise undertaken during 2005, sought to balance the competing claims of reproductive liberty and responsibility, patient safety, child welfare, professional autonomy and public accountability. The overarching aim is to achieve the common good through a system which is broadly acceptable to society, given the complex ethical issues involved, and which is effective given the pace of scientific developments. This present document contains the draft text of the proposed Human Tissue and Embryos Bill, published in order to enable pre-legislative scrutiny of the proposals by a Parliamentary Committee. It includes the text of the draft Bill, explanatory notes, a draft regulatory impact assessment and a version of how the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act would look if amended by the draft Bill and the EU Tissue Directive. The proposals include the creation of the new single regulatory authority on the use of human tissue, cells and blood, to be called the Regulatory Authority for Tissue and Embryos (RATE), to replace the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and the Human Tissue Authority.

Advances in the field of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) have been revolutionary. This book focuses on the use of ARTs in the context of families who seek to conceive a matching sibling donor as a source of tissue to treat an existing sick child. Such children have been referred to as 'saviour siblings'. Considering the legal and regulatory frameworks that impact on the accessibility of this technology in Australia and the UK, the work analyses the ethical and moral issues that arise from the use of the technology for this specific purpose. The author claims the only justification for limiting a family's reproductive liberty in this context is where the exercise of reproductive decision-making results in harm to others. It is argued that the harm principle is the underlying feature of legislative action in Western democratic society, and as such, this principle provides the grounds upon which a strong and persuasive argument is made for a less-restrictive regulatory approach in the context of 'saviour siblings'. The book will be of great relevance and interest to academics, researchers, practitioners and policy makers in the fields of law, ethics, philosophy, science and medicine.

Reproductive choices are at once the most private and intimate decisions we make in our lives and undeniably also among the most public. Reproductive decision making takes place in a web of overlapping concerns - political and ideological, socio-economic, health and health care - all of which engage the public and involve strongly held opinions and attitudes about appropriate conduct on the part of individuals and the state. Law, Policy and Reproductive Autonomy examines the idea of reproductive autonomy, noting that in attempting to look closely at the contours of the concept, we begin to see some uncertainty about its meaning and legal implications - about how to understand reproductive autonomy and how to value it. Both mainstream and feminist literature about autonomy contribute valuable insights into the meaning and implications of reproductive autonomy. The developing feminist literature on relational autonomy provides a useful starting point for a contextualised conception of reproductive autonomy that creates the opportunity for meaningful exercise of reproductive choice. With a contextualised approach to reproductive autonomy as a backdrop, the book traces aspects of the regulation of reproduction in Canadian, English, US and Australian law and policy, arguing that not all reproductive decisions necessarily demand the same level of deference in law and policy, and making recommendations for reform.

This collection provides a snapshot of big ideas in family law reform. The book asks: if you could change one part of family law, what would it be? This deceptively simple question is answered by 10 family law experts and debated within the volume by expert respondents. The book puts the proposal first, forcing authors (and their respondents) to critically engage with what family law should look like, and where the development of law is needed to address the changing landscape of family life. Cultural and religious plurality, the use of technology, and changes in societal attitudes have all had an impact on the continuing evolution of families. As a consequence, the law has some complex challenges to address in its attempt to regulate familial diversity. This book is an invaluable resource for scholars of family law, practitioners, policymakers, or anyone more broadly interested in family law reform, and serves as a companion to Hart Publishing's landmark Criminal Law Reform Now.

In an era increasingly dominated by new technologies there are many calls for regulation to control their application. This timely contribution reviews and develops the role of human rights in the regulation of new technologies discussing how rights are affected by technological development, and how they can be used to improve regulation.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 represents the most radical overhaul of the United Kingdom's embryology laws since the enactment of the original 1990 Act. It is intended to ensure that the legislative framework keeps up with the fast pace of technological, social and medical change. The new Act is a comprehensive amending statute which makes considerable changes to the operation of both the HFEA 1990 and regulation in the area of assisted reproductive technology and embryo research. Major provisions contained in the Act include: * extending regulation to the creation and use of all embryos outside of the human body, regardless of the processes used in their creation * increasing the scope of legitimate embryo research activities, allowing hybrid embryos to be created for research into serious diseases * enforcing a ban on sex selection of offspring for non-medical reasons * retention of a duty, when providing fertility treatment, to take account of "the welfare of the child", but removal of the reference to 'the need for a father' * recognising same-sex couples as legal parents of children conceived through the use of donated sperm, eggs or embryos