Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act of 2008

In 2007, the United Kingdom (UK) introduced a new parliamentary bill entitled the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (HFE) Bill. The bill gained royal assent (i.e., was passed by Parliament) in 2008 and is now known as the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act (HFEA). The overall aim of the bill was to update the 1990 HFE Act, taking into account scientific and technological developments such as stem cell therapy, research on mixing human and animal embryos, and the use of preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). [Page 473]Social attitudes had also changed so that it could no longer be assumed that parent meant “mother and father,” and alterations were proposed accordingly.