Woman in frozen embryos ruling may seek to donate them

Dr Kirsty Horsey

Progress Educational Trust

07 October 2003

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[BioNews, London] Last week, the High Court ruled against two women seeking to use their frozen embryos against their ex-partners' wishes. One of them, Lorraine Hadley, said in a subsequent BBC interview that she may request her ex-husband to consent to donating their two embryos to another woman, so that the embryos may not be destroyed.

'Even if I can't have them maybe Wayne might consider that we donate them, so that it's not just destroying them' she said, 'so that someone else might benefit from it, even if it can't be me.'

According to UK rules, Lorraine Hadley would not be able to choose, or be made aware of, the identity of anyone seeking to become pregnant with the embryos created by herself and her former husband.

At the High Court, Mr Justice Wall refused Natallie Evans and Lorraine Hadley leave to appeal against his decision. However, the women can appeal directly to the Court of Appeal if they want to take the case further. They have been granted a 28-day stay on the destruction of their embryos that their former partners have requested, while they decide their next move.

Reproduced with permission from BioNews, an email and online sources of news, information and comment on assisted reproduction and genetics.