Major proposals may be vulnerable to Supreme Court challenge

SOME of the major recommendations made in the report of the Commission on Assisted Human Reproduction may be vulnerable to a Supreme Court constitutional challenge, if they are implemented in legislation.

The commission’s recommendation that embryo and stem cell research be permissible in Ireland is based on its majority decision that embryos formed by IVF should not attract legal protection until placed in the human body.

Excess embryos (fertilised eggs) are generated during IVF treatment and are not used to induce pregnancy.