Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990
Encyclopedia
The 1990 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
.
It contains provisions for the setting up of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
, which regulates assisted reproduction in the UK.
, which specifies the conditions where abortion
is legal.
Women who consider abortion are referred to two doctors who then advise her whether abortion is suitable based on the decision of which of four conditions apply; only when the doctors reach a unanimous decision is the woman allowed to terminate pregnancy.
Pregnancy can be terminated under one of the following circumstances, if the pregnancy
:
The act also lowered the abortion limit from 28 weeks to 24 weeks.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
.
Coverage
The act covers several areas:- The licensing of human fertility treatment involving the use of donated genetic material (eggs, sperm or embryos).
- The storage of human eggs, spermSpermThe term sperm is derived from the Greek word sperma and refers to the male reproductive cells. In the types of sexual reproduction known as anisogamy and oogamy, there is a marked difference in the size of the gametes with the smaller one being termed the "male" or sperm cell...
and embryos. - Research on human embryos.
It contains provisions for the setting up of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority is a statutory body in the United Kingdom that regulates and inspects all UK clinics providing in vitro fertilisation, artificial insemination and the storage of human eggs, sperm or embryos. It also regulates Human Embryo research...
, which regulates assisted reproduction in the UK.
Abortion provisions
Amongst other provisions, in section 37 it amends the Abortion Act 1967Abortion Act 1967
The Abortion Act 1967 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom legalising abortions by registered practitioners, and regulating the free provision of such medical practices through the National Health Service ....
, which specifies the conditions where abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
is legal.
Women who consider abortion are referred to two doctors who then advise her whether abortion is suitable based on the decision of which of four conditions apply; only when the doctors reach a unanimous decision is the woman allowed to terminate pregnancy.
Pregnancy can be terminated under one of the following circumstances, if the pregnancy
Pregnancy
Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
:
- puts the life of the mother at risk
- poses a risk to the mental and physical health of the pregnant woman
- poses a risk to the mental and physical health of the existing children
- shows there is evidence of extreme foetal abnormality i.e. the child would be seriously physically or mentally handicappedHandicappedHandicapped or handicap may refer to:*Handicapping, various methods of leveling a sport or game**Golf handicap, a sport-specific handicapping method**Go handicaps**Handicaps in shogi**Asian handicap, bookmakers technique to level odds...
after birth and during life.
The act also lowered the abortion limit from 28 weeks to 24 weeks.
See also
- Human Reproductive Cloning Act 2001Human Reproductive Cloning Act 2001The Human Reproductive Cloning Act 2001 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom "to prohibit the placing in a woman of a human embryo which has been created otherwise than by fertilisation"...
- Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Deceased Fathers) Act 2003Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Deceased Fathers) Act 2003The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2003 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom "to make provision about the circumstances in which, and the extent to which, a man is to be treated in law as the father of a child where the child has resulted from certain fertility treatment...
- Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008The Bill's discussion in Parliament did not permit time to debate whether it should extend abortion rights under the Abortion Act 1967 to also cover Northern Ireland...