It’s been described as outdated, bureaucratic, out of touch and at least one leading fertility expert has called for it to be scrapped.

But Suzi Leather, chair of Britain’s Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), believes the need for fertility watchdogs may never have been greater.

With a 66-year-old woman making headlines as the world’s oldest mother and a maverick scientist promising to clone babies, the ethical issues surrounding fertility are explosive.

“The question is no longer ‘should there be regulation in this area?’ Of course there should be, particularly because of the unique moral status of the embryo but also because patients themselves are very vulnerable,” she told Reuters.

Few issues are as emotive or drive couples to such despair as the inability to have children. With an estimated one in six couples having difficulty conceiving, fertility treatments are a booming business.

“Without regulation, patients tell us they wouldn’t feel so secure,” said Leather, a 49-year-old mother of three.

The HFEA, set up in 1991 as part of Britain’s Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, regulates and licenses fertility clinics and monitors human embryo research. It also regulates the storage of eggs, sperm and embryos.

“There has always been a consensus of medical and scientific opinion in this country which has supported regulation right from the beginning,” said Leather.

WELFARE OF THE CHILD

But since its own conception, the HFEA has come under criticism for its stand on embryo selection to help sick siblings and other issues.

After initially refusing to allow fertility clinics to screen embryos to select a compatible one to cure an ill sibling with a genetic disorder, the HFEA recently relaxed the rules.

Leading fertility expert Robert Winston who describes the HFEA as badly organized, says it should be abolished.

Winston has called for a more efficient body that would not inhibit research and would have a better consultation process.

The 1990 act, which is being reviewed, does not rule out any group of patients from seeking fertility treatment and has not set any upper age limits for the mother, but it stresses that the welfare of the child should always be considered.

“I think parliament does need to revisit the legislation. This is a fast-moving area of science and treatment options. A lot has happened since 1990,” said Leather.

One issue she would like parliament to tackle is embryo selection. Guidelines on when it should be permitted are needed.

“That’s one of the big issues in this area, at the moment.”

The HFEA has launched a public consultation to gauge opinion on whether factors such as medical, physical and psychological risks and social factors should prevent people from receiving fertility treatment.

The document also tackles the so-called designer baby issue - seeking specific characteristics, like hair color, in donated sperm or eggs.

Despite the criticism that has been leveled against it, the HFEA is seen as a model for other countries that have set up similar bodies.

To keep up with the rapid pace of science, the HFEA has organized a panel to experts to assess new developments. It also plans to set up a database that could help to improve fertility techniques and follow-up the development of IVF children.

Since the birth of the first test tube baby more than 25 years ago, reproductive technology has advanced at an astonishing pace. Where it will go from here is anyone’s guess.

But Leather is confident the HFEA and other agencies like it can keep up.

“Unless they do, I think it will be difficult to protect the interest of patients and offspring, and particularly in the research area, to maintain public confidence.”