The Warnock Report on Human Fertilisation and Embryology (1984)

Cave, Emma

Abstract

When the Report of the Committee of Inquiry into Human Fertilisation and Embryology was published in the UK in 1984, human fertilisation and embryology was developing at pace. The same has been true since and remains the case today. And yet the Committee, chaired by Dame (subsequently Baroness) Mary Warnock, in their Report not only provided a pioneering regulatory model of relevance to other countries and other ethically charged scientific developments, but the Report itself has also stood the test of time. The Committee recommended legislation to regulate human fertilisation and embryology treatments and research, and this legislation has, in amended form, remained in place, until 2022 at least. It also recommended that a licensing body be created, with executive and advisory powers. The resulting Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has survived proposed abolitions and mergers and celebrated its 30th birthday in 2021. This chapter charts the significance of the Report and its procedural legacy.

Citation

Cave, E. (2023). The Warnock Report on Human Fertilisation and Embryology (1984). In S. Fovargue, & C. Purshouse (Eds.), Leading Works in Health Law and Ethics. London: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003146612-6

• Online Publication Date: Jul 20, 2023
• Publication Date: 2023
• Deposit Date: Jun 28, 2022
• Publisher: Routledge
• Series Title: Leading Works
• Edition: 1st
• Book Title: Leading Works in Health Law and Ethics
• Chapter Number: 6
• ISBN: 9780367704858
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003146612-6
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1644944
• Contract Date: Aug 8, 2022