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14 December 2006
In new legislation being proposed today by the UK Department of Health, the requirement for fertility clinics to consider the need for a father when deciding whether to offer treatment is to be discontinued. This will mean that lesbians and single mothers will now be able to have children without clinics being able to deny treatment since the legislation was seen as discriminatory for unconventional families.
This is supported by the UK Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority which indicated in 2005 that: "Studies conducted over the past decade suggest that, despite initial concerns, children born to lesbian couples compare well with other assisted conception children in terms of emotional, behavioural and gender development."
The Scottish Council on Human Bioethics (SCHB) is, however, concerned with such a decision since studies undertaken so far are incomplete and have often only examined pre-adolescent children. These may not be as concerned about their identity or their family circumstances as when they grow older.
In this regard, Dr. Calum MacKellar, Director of research of the SCHB, stated that: "It is possible that these children may only become aware of any psychological problems when they become adults or consider having children of their own later on in life."
Moreover, in 2005, the UK Department of Health indicated that: "research shows that children brought up in one parent families tend to score worse on a range of indices than children brought up by a mother and a father."
In this respect, Dr. Calum MacKellar questioned: "Would the creation of children without a father or mother be an ethical act totally devoid of psychological risks?" adding "Until such questions are addressed it would not be in the best interest of the child to be created in this way."
Because of the possible risks involved, including psychological risks, the SCHB agrees that fertility treatment law should be amended. Thus, this legislation should not only take account for the "need of the child for a father", but for "the need of the child for a father and a mother".