Compensation paid to egg and sperm donors in the United Kingdom could be increased to include a payment for inconvenience, in a bid to tackle an acute shortage of donated gametes. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), which regulates infertility treatment, raises the possibility in a review of its policies on egg and sperm donation launched on 17 January. European law bans payment for donated gametes but allows donors to be compensated for expenses, loss of earnings, and inconvenience. Current HFEA rules allow egg donors to be reimbursed for loss of earnings and expenses, such as travel costs, up to a maximum of £250 (€300; $400). But nothing can be claimed for the physical inconvenience that gamete donors experience, even though egg donation is invasive and sperm donation time consuming.
The UK Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) is investigating websites that match up sperm donors with women who want to conceive, to see whether they may be breaking the law. The move by the HFEA follows the conviction at Southwark Crown Court in London of Ricky Gage and Nigel Woodforth, who made £250 000 (€295 000; $400 000) from their company Fertility 1st, which couriered sperm from donors to women who were trying to conceive. The pair face a possible jail term when they are sentenced in October. They fell foul of a law that makes the procurement of gametes, including human sperm, illegal without a licence from the HFEA.
The UK government is poised to smooth the passage for private investment in higher education, creating an opportunity for private equity investors to make a mark on the sector
"The idea of being sent to prison for owing someone quite a small amount of money seems hard to believe today, but it was still happening well into Victorian times. Life in Victorian prisons was very difficult from the moment of capture to the moment of d
HIV & AIDS information focusing on regional and global responses to the epidemic. AVERT also provides HIV and AIDS education resources, sex education and advice for people of all age groups.
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The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) is the largest umbrella body for the voluntary and community sector in England. We give voice and support to civil society.
The issue in this case is not uncommon. P is an adult who has an unresolved medical condition, in this case epilepsy. His primary carer, however well motivated, does not accept the diagnosis nor the treatment proposals. P may object to treatment (whether his own view or prompted by his carer). In order to determine what is in P's best interests, since he cannot decide for himself, it is necessary to observe him, and not to rely upon what is relayed about his condition by his carer. To that end, a period in hospital for assessment and treatment is necessary.
There has been growing concern in recent years about whether current law is adequate to deal with misuse of the internet to promote suicide and suicide methods. The Government share the concerns that have been expressed about such misuse, in particular about suicide websites and the influence they may have over vulnerable people, especially young people.
Lords publish report on Assisted Dying Bill The Committee has completed the inquiry. The Report [HL Paper 86] and was published on 4th April. The Committee examined the Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill. The Committee heard from more than 140 witnesses in the UK, The Netherlands, the US State of Oregon and Switzerland. It received 60 submissions of written evidence from organisations and more than 14,000 letters and e-mails from individuals.
Owen Jones 15 Dec 2015, "I’m an opinion writer: my opinions appear in the opinion section. But the media is swollen with opinion writers, and in too many cases their work ends up in the news section."
When faced with a terminal illness, medical professionals, who know the limits of modern medicine, often opt out of life-prolonging treatment. An American doctor explains why the best death can be the least medicated – and the art of dying peacefully, at home