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The fragility of human fertility and male reproduction

The fragility of human fertility should not be underestimated. Individual fertility and family building hopes and dreams can be unexpectedly lost or impaired through accident, illness, premature infertility and death. Recent medical studies provide additional evidence of its fragility and analysis that the male reproductive system is, in particular, vulnerable to a range of viral infections including Covid-19. As such, it has never been more important to take steps to safeguard our fertility and family building plans now and into the future.
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Legal parentage disputes: modern families and the law

Legal parentage is a critical part of the creation, stability and protection of modern families and those formed through assisted conception. However, all too often parents, children and families experience problems, disputes, uncertainty and anxiety about legal parentage in the UK and around the world. Earlier this week (16 November 2020) the Supreme Court refused permission to hear a transgender man’s case to be recognised as the legal father of the child to whom he gave birth. Articles in the media this week also report that Japan is currently looking at revising its assisted reproduction law with a draft bill, which if approved, would for the first time enable those who conceive with donor eggs and sperm to become legal parents in Japan.
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Fertility treatment delivery during the continued Covid-19 pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic shows little sign of abatement as it continues to cause disruption, loss and death around the world. In light of the intensification of the Covid-19 pandemic and England’s decision to implement a second nationwide lockdown on 5 November 2020 for a month, the HFEA issued updated guidance for the delivery of licensed fertility treatment services on 2 November 2020. However, notwithstanding the welcome continued delivery of fertility treatment services in the UK, the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic creates a wide variety of legal and wider issues for those seeking to undertake fertility treatment and assisted conception that require careful consideration and management.
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The UK’s New National Genomic Healthcare Strategy, Genome UK

On 19 October 2020 BioNews published a comment piece by specialist fertility and family lawyer Louisa Ghevaert which assesses the UK government's new National Genomic Healthcare Strategy, Genome UK. Louisa explains that this genomic healthcare strategy does not go far enough in repositioning future healthcare strategy, policy and practice. By not fully articulating and integrating human reproduction and fertility treatment into future genomic healthcare strategy, Louisa explains that it does not represent a truly cohesive approach in setting our genomic healthcare strategy 'over the next ten years' and beyond.
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