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03/11/2005
IVF parents to face fewer and faster checks
People seeking to use fertility treatment will face fewer checks, under new guidelines.
Under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act, fertility clinics have to assess the welfare of a child born via fertility treatment. These focus on a number of areas, including: mental and physical conditions in the parents, which could threaten a child’s care; drug and alcohol abuse; previous convictions related to harming children; and medical history, which means that the child could be born with a serious medical condition.
However, doctors are also required to question potential parents on a series of social issues, including their ability to provide a stable environment for a child.
The revised guidance, introduced by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, removes vague and subjective social questions from the assessment, focusing instead on the risk of serious harm to the child.
Clinics would assume that they would provide treatment, unless evidence of serious harm to the child is found. Clinicians would also be allowed to use their professional judgement to decide which cases needed further investigation, rather than having to contact a patient’s GP in every case.
The HFEA said that the new guidelines would be “fairer and clearer” for fertility patients. Suzi Leather, Chair of the HFEA, said: “By focussing more clearly on the risk factors that could lead to serious harm, we will have a system that is fairer for patients and more proportionate for doctors whilst still protecting children's interests.
“These new guidelines will enable medical teams to get on with the job and will give patients reassurance that the process will not be unjustifiably burdensome or intrusive.”
The new guidelines will be fully implemented by January 2006.
(KMcA/SP)
Under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act, fertility clinics have to assess the welfare of a child born via fertility treatment. These focus on a number of areas, including: mental and physical conditions in the parents, which could threaten a child’s care; drug and alcohol abuse; previous convictions related to harming children; and medical history, which means that the child could be born with a serious medical condition.
However, doctors are also required to question potential parents on a series of social issues, including their ability to provide a stable environment for a child.
The revised guidance, introduced by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, removes vague and subjective social questions from the assessment, focusing instead on the risk of serious harm to the child.
Clinics would assume that they would provide treatment, unless evidence of serious harm to the child is found. Clinicians would also be allowed to use their professional judgement to decide which cases needed further investigation, rather than having to contact a patient’s GP in every case.
The HFEA said that the new guidelines would be “fairer and clearer” for fertility patients. Suzi Leather, Chair of the HFEA, said: “By focussing more clearly on the risk factors that could lead to serious harm, we will have a system that is fairer for patients and more proportionate for doctors whilst still protecting children's interests.
“These new guidelines will enable medical teams to get on with the job and will give patients reassurance that the process will not be unjustifiably burdensome or intrusive.”
The new guidelines will be fully implemented by January 2006.
(KMcA/SP)
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