Our Campaign
Our Campaigns (Surrogacy)
1) To change the law with regard to the storage time for gametes and embryos intended for surrogacy.
2) To pass a private members bill so that if a baby is still born or dies before a parental order is granted, the Intended Parents can have their name, put on the certificates. At the moment there is no place in law for it to happen.
1) http://forums.a-little-wish.co.uk/Default.aspx?g=topics&f=118
As you may have heard, there is a discrepancy (discrimination) in the law with regard to how long embryos and gametes can be sorted WHEN their intended purpose is for host surrogacy.
This is the information that the HFEA gives out to clinics.
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
Guidance for Centres on the Changes to the Statutory Storage Period for Embryos
Summary
Parliament has passed regulation to extend the current statutory period for embryos in certain circumstances. These take effect from 1 May 1996. The normal maximum statutory storage period for embryos remains 5 years.
There are 3 principal circumstances in which the maximum storage period for embryos may be extended beyond 5 years. These are as follows:
- where the woman being treated or her partner, if he provided the sperm, has, or is lively to develop, “significantly impaired” fertility, OR
- where the woman being treated or her partner, if he provided the sperm, carries a significant gene defect; OR
- where the woman being treated or her partner, if he provided th sperm, is or is likely, to become “prematurely and completely” infertile.
In addition, the following conditions must be satisfied:
- the people whose eggs and sperm have been used to produce the embryos have confirmed in writing that they have no objection to the embryos being stored for more than the normal maximum storage period of 5 years, AND
- the embryos are stored for the purpose of providing treatment
However, the five year storage period may not be extended in any case where:
- the woman to be treated using the embryos is aged 50 or over when storage begins; OR
- the proposed treatment involves a surrogacy arrangement
Contents
This guidance falls into 2 parts:
1 Information about the regulations and revised consent forms which take effect from 1 May 1996
2 Implementing the regulations
There is a review going though Parliament that will extend the storage period to TEN years which is slightly better, HOWEVER they are not planning to introduce it retrospectively, which means that Michelle and family and many others will NOT be helped!
a little wish* is working and campaigning to have this removed so that those who are following a surrogacy journey are able to keep embryos and gametes until the intended mothers is 55 the same as those with a working uterus.
You can help us by, donating a little time and a stamp and writing off to
- your MP
- the Department of Health
- HFEA
We will be adding standard letters that you can copy, amend, print out and send off.
We KNOW that this piece of legislation does not apply to large part of the population, however it is literally a matter of life and death to those and the children-to-be that it effects.
We will also be setting up a petition and hope that you will again support us.
|