Abstract

The Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority policy on permitting ova provision for research purposes breaches good regulatory practice in being inconsistent, unaccountable and untargeted. This article will illustrate how these breaches have resulted in a policy which is unfair to ova providers who wish to contribute to stem cell research and undermines the intentions behind the policy's very inception. (This article is based on a paper entitled Appropriate Recompense for Oocytes in Stem Cell Research presented at the Stem Cells: Hope or Hype debate, North West Genetics Knowledge Park, Manchester in May 2007.)