Law Weblog

Quintavalle v Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority [2005] HL

Saturday 30 April 2005 at 9:51 am | In News | Post Comment

[The creation of so-called “designer babies” to treat siblings with genetic disorders is lawful]
D, the HFEA issued a licence to parents of six-year old boy suffering from a rare and potentially fatal blood disorder (beta thalassaemia] to enable them to ‘create’ a sibling whose tissue would match and offer hope of treatment.
C, Josephine Quintavalle a campaigner opposed such interference, claimed the whole concept of designer babies was against the law.

Held: Tissue typing to create babies to help siblings could be authorised by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), which issues a licence to create or keep an embryo.

C lost