title: Time-Line in HFEA Developments and Regulatory Challenges: 20 Years of Overseeing Fertility Practices and Research in the UK.
abstract: In the wake of political upheaval, the Human Fertilisation and Embryo Authority (HFEA) has faced increasing insecurity over its future as a pivotal regulatory body of fertility practices in the UK. HFEA regulates activities by means of licensing, audit, and inspection of fertility centers and maintaining the Code of Practice, which ensures the optimum undertaking of licensed activities by fertility centers. In 2009, amendments to the 1990 Act came into force representing an amalgamation of cumulative proposals, debates, and changes in legislation, which have shaped the world of reproductive medicine. The medical world has, in many cases, adapted to righteous political and social demands, and continues to evolve at a rapid rate. The HFEA has faced many regulatory challenges and changes, and through this study, we aim to provide an overview of some of these changes, particularly those during the last 10 years and the implications that they may have had to fertility practices.
authors.affiliation: University Hospitals, Warwickshire, London UK.
authors.forename: Rina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Agrawal
authors.affiliation: The Royal Free and University College London Hospitals, 16c Northwood Road, London, N6 5TN UK.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Burt
authors.affiliation: The Homerton Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: Roy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Homburg
keywords: Fertility; HFEA; Practice; Regulation