This July, LML Director Prof. Kathy Liddell participated in a Nuffield Council on Bioethics workshop examining the UK’s 14-day rule for human embryo research. The event formed part of the Council’s ongoing review of the rule, which prohibits the culture of human embryos in vitro beyond 14 days after fertilisation or the appearance of the primitive streak.
The multidisciplinary workshop brought together legal, ethical, scientific, and policy experts to explore the aims of law and regulation in this area, assess the current framework under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, and consider potential reforms. Topics included incremental extensions to the limit, the adoption of new fixed or developmental-stage-based endpoints, and alternative regulatory models such as case-by-case review.
To frame the discussion, participants discussed the aims of law and regulation, as well as the ethical, legal, and societal considerations underpinning the current rule, the value of maintaining public trust, and the balance between enabling scientific advances and safeguarding widely held moral concerns. The workshop also considered related proposals, including the Polkinghorne Guidelines for research using fetal tissue, and changes to consent rules to facilitate embryo banking for broader research purposes.
The Nuffield Council’s review will inform national debate and policy on the regulation of embryo research in the UK.
More information about the Council’s project is available here.