Dismembering the HFEA will not improve public confidence | Ruth Deech

Taking regulation away from the accountable and expert figures of the HFEA is risky and misguided The question: How should the state regulate reproductive technologies?I was the chair of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) from 1994-2002. For most of my tenure I was paid the princely sum of £8,000 per annum, but it was a burden that I undertook with pride and as a privilege, grateful that infertility had not affected me, wishing to help others to be safely treated with respect for their dignity and to avoid exploitation. I remain in awe of the achievement of the scientists. The outstanding event of those years was the safe launching of embryonic stem cell research.The debate about dismembering the HFEA is essentially about maintaining public confidence. It is not about the excellence and trustworthiness of our doctors and embryologists – if that were the issue then we would not...

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