HFE Act becomes law

10 December 2008

We were pleased to see the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act gain royal assent in November 2008, having worked with other medical research organisations to support the Act’s research provisions.

MPs and peers received Wellcome Trust briefing material on the issues, and we arranged meetings between scientists and MPs. We also commissioned a special supplement on stem cells in The Times, and Wellcome Collection hosted a debate between leading scientists, ethicists and religious figures. Provisions of the Act, as passed, will ensure that all avenues of stem cell research can be pursued within a transparent and ethically robust framework, which will enable the UK to remain at the forefront of stem cell research.