§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, given the regularity of an over 90 per cent., average failure rate of the IVF/ET procedures carried out in the clinics hitherto licensed by the interim licensing authority, they are convinced that these procedures, despite being approved by "local ethical committees" and no longer regarded by the British medical profession as experimental, are in full and conscientious keeping with the provisions of the 1964 (revised 1975) Helsinki Declaration and Recommendations and with the International Code of Medical Ethics.
§ Baroness HooperParliament decided when it passed the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 that IVF treatment may legally be carried out under licence from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. Treatment centres are expected to follow the guidelines of the authority's code of practice which take account of ethical considerations.
§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether it is their view that patients can develop "informed consent" to IVF/ET procedures, if information about the "success rate" (in terms of take-home babies) of licensed clinics is withheld from them and their medical advisers on grounds of commercial confidentiality; and whether this is in keeping with the established ethics of the medical profession.
§ Baroness HooperPatients are free to ask individual clinics about their success rates for IVF treatment. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority expects centres to comply with its code of practice and give information to people seeking treatment in a straightforward, comprehensive and open way. The authority will ensure that they do so.