IVF report delayed pending court embryo case outcome

An Oireachtas health committee has deferred publication of a report on assisted human reproduction pending the outcome of the current High Court case involving the use of frozen embryos.

The report, which is in draft form, is from a subgroup of the health committee that has a Government majority, and mostly backs the relatively liberal approach to in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment put forward last year by the Commission on Assisted Human Reproduction.

Opposition TDs and Senators had walked out of the committee's meeting earlier this week when Fianna Fáil members moved to have debate on the draft report deferred to allow further consultation with expert and interest groups.

The Opposition members accused Fianna Fáil of dragging its feet on the issue and said the report should be finalised.

However, they agreed yesterday to postpone further consideration of the report until September and discuss the issue of possible further hearings at that stage.

The decision was taken in light of issues arising in the case before the High Court in which a woman is seeking to have frozen embryos that had been fertilised by her now estranged husband's sperm implanted in her womb against his wishes.

The committee also took into account a letter from Minister for Health Mary Harney stating that she had told her department to prepare legislation for the regulation of assisted human reproduction.

In her letter to the committee dated last Wednesday, Ms Harney said her department's work on the regulations would "proceed in a way that is mindful of any development in the courts on relevant constitutional issues".

Liz McManus (Labour) said the draft report should be sent immediately to Ms Harney so it could form part of her department's deliberations, although the news that preparation on the legislation was already beginning "just goes to show what we do at this committee doesn't seem to make any difference".