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A summary of the meeting of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority in November 1998

At its November meeting the HFEA discussed its policy on payment to donors. The Authority confirmed its belief that the donation of sperm or eggs to create new life should be a gift, freely and voluntarily given.

The HFEA took note of the responses to its recent consultation exercise and the fear expressed by many that, in the present climate, the removal of payment might seriously jeopardise the supply of sperm donors. Acknowledging that there is an emerging international trade in gametes, the Authority felt it was important to ensure that the supply of safe, screened sperm in the UK remained adequate. It concluded that a £15 payment plus expenses could be paid by clinics.

On egg sharing, the Authority decided that it could continue, provided that it was closely controlled and regulated. The HFEA therefore decided that specific guidelines should be prepared regulating egg sharing including guidance on consent, the information to be given to potential sharers and the choices they may be asked to make when only a limited number of eggs has been collected.

Also at this meeting the Authority generally approved the joint HGAC/HFEA report to Ministers on cloning and the publication of its own 1998 Annual Report and Interim Patients' Guide.

Page last updated: 20 January 2011

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