NEWS: Shake-up of IVF welfare checks, page 1

The UK Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA, see link below) has decided to consider relaxing some of the bureaucratic red tape involved with the IVF selection process. This "public consultation", set to run through April 2005, will focus on what enquiries should be made regarding prospective couples, what factors these enquiries should focus on, and whether or not different types of treatments should require different lines of enquiry.

news.bbc.co.uk
The checks that couples wanting IVF have to undergo to ensure they are fit to be parents are being overhauled.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority is launching a public consultation on how far clinics should probe potential parents.

Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

In a related, but puzzling, development, the HFEA is also considering requiring police background checks for all potential IVF couples (see second related link). This seems like "one step forward, one step back", which I suppose is not all that surprising for a government agency.

My personal view is that, until the day that "natural" parents are subject to restrictions on procreation, prospective IVF parents (nor indeed prospective adopters) should have to endure them. Any two idiots (well, any two idiots of the opposite sex!) can procreate, sometimes with disastrous results. IVF parents, at least, are clearly committed to the concept of having children...you can't say the same for all parents, since in many cases it’s either a complete accident or at least not very well thought through.

Some will argue that we need to guard against people having IVF for nefarious purposes, but I disagree with this. It's hard to imagine anyone going through such a hassle unless they truly want - and are prepared to properly care for - children.

Related News Links:
www.hfea.gov.uk
www.itv.com
society.guardian.co.uk