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Health groups call for parental consent in embryo research

31/01/2008

Health groups have asked the government to allow parents to be able to give consent for cells to be taken from their dying children for medical research.

The current human and embryology bill has no provision for cells to be taken from children to create embryos for research, unless the children themselves are able to give consent.

But the Genetic Interest Group (GIG), an umbrella group for patient organisations supporting patients of inheritable conditions and their families, Great Ormond Street hospital and UCL's Institute of Child Health say there are a number of reasons why this should be reconsidered.

They say many conditions children can suffer make it impossible for them to be able to give their consent.

For example children with Tay Sachs disease will die by the age of six and the brains of children with severe forms of Lissencephaly do not develop normally beyond about six months of age.

In a letter to health minister Lord Darzi the groups argue that research using cells from children with different conditions "is critical to the development of cures and treatments for life-limiting childhood diseases".

They believe frameworks are in place to prevent against misuse of children's genetic material.

"The bill, as it stands, imposes a barrier to one of the most potent tools for research into the most severe childhood diseases," their letter states.

"Given the existing regulatory framework that provides for proper informed consent procedures where children are concerned, there is an overwhelming moral argument for the bill to be amended so that consent is brought into line with other health and research activities."

Commenting on the letter, a spokesperson for the Department of Health said: "The government believes that some very strong and persuasive arguments have been put forward for cases where, perhaps because the child is suffering from a terminal illness at a very early age, the current consent requirements in the bill are not appropriate and should be revised.

"We are currently examining this issue carefully and have agreed to take it away for further consideration."