The hospital ethics committee and moral authority

The use of clinical ethics committees in infertility clinics

Clinical ethics committees (CECs) are increasingly used in UK health care (Slowther et al., 2004a). However, there has been little debate about their use in infertility units. Current HFEA guidance on CECs encourages their use in aiding ethical decision making but this is not required by the code of practice or obligated by law. It will be argued that the HFEA should strengthen its guidance on CECs by recommending that all infertility clinics should have a designated CEC (where possible) as a matter of good practice and such a recommendation should be formalised in the HFEA's Code of practice. The article will conclude with recommendations for a particular model of CECs in infertility units.