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Health Sciences and Practice Subject Centre

Health Sciences and Practice Subject Centre. Ethics Special Interest Group 24 th April 2009 Lillian Neville Senior Lecturer, University of Salford. Fertility as a moral gymnasium. Examine the tensions between:. What is technically possible What is legally permissible

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Health Sciences and Practice Subject Centre

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  1. Health Sciences and Practice Subject Centre Ethics Special Interest Group 24th April 2009 Lillian Neville Senior Lecturer, University of Salford Lillian Neville April 2009

  2. Fertility as a moral gymnasium Lillian Neville April 2009

  3. Examine the tensions between: • What is technically possible • What is legally permissible • What is socially acceptable • What is morally desirable Lillian Neville April 2009

  4. Mary Warnock’s vision: The HFEA • We stand on behalf of the ordinary person in the street…and patients, donor conceived people and their families, clinicians and researchers. • 20 members. 15 lay and 5 professional members. • Executive and staff x 80 people Lillian Neville April 2009

  5. HFEA – a reflexive arm of the law • Regulate research, storage and treatment involving human gametes and embryos • Issue licenses • Policy and guidance • Consultation – public, stakeholders • Committees – horizon scanning, ethics & law, audit. Lillian Neville April 2009

  6. Personhood: when does life begin to matter morally? • Conception onwards • Primitive streak • Sentience • Further on in pregnancy • Birth • Rationality • Not proven status • Process not event? Lillian Neville April 2009

  7. What sorts of parents? • The need for a father • Single sex parents • Surrogacy • Age limits • NHS limits – NICE guidelines • Those who can pay Lillian Neville April 2009

  8. What sorts of parents? • The notion that “all who want IVF should have access to it or contraception should be put in the water supply and all pregnancies regulated”. • Who should decide who can become a parent? • Length of storage – gametes, embryos. • Shortage of gamete donors. Lillian Neville April 2009

  9. What sort of children should we have? “Oh brave new world that has such people in it”. [Miranda in The Tempest (Shakespeare) on seeing Ferdinand.] Lillian Neville April 2009

  10. What sorts of children? • Saviour siblings • Sex selection • Embryo choice – the test • Designer babies • Unlicensed gametes • Impact on donor conceived children • Is this my grandson? • Singletons or octuplets Lillian Neville April 2009

  11. What sorts of research? • Hybrid embryos • Consent for research on your gametes • Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) • Pre-implantation genetic screening (PGS) • Data from HFEA register • Stem cells – potential lack of regulation Lillian Neville April 2009

  12. Ethics and law advisory committeeRecent issues discussed • PGD • Modification of human embryos • Disclosure of register information • Supportive parenting • Ethnic communities and ART • Consent • All papers on website: www.hfea.gov.uk Lillian Neville April 2009

  13. So is it the best moral gymnasium? YES! Lillian Neville April 2009

  14. Contact Us Health Sciences and Practice Subject Centre http://www.health.heacademy.ac.uk info-hsap@kcl.ac.uk Higher Education Academy http://www.heacademy.ac.uk Lillian Neville April 2009

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