Embryo ruling - Case has far-reaching implications

THE High Court’s preliminary ruling in the dispute between an estranged couple over the fate of three frozen embryos may be relatively straightforward but it puts the spotlight on how important it is for such agreements to be copper-fastened.

Given the intense public interest in the outcome of this landmark case, which is far from over, it is commendable that the court will tomorrow begin its examination of the wider constitutional and public policy aspects of law, including the vexed question of when life begins.

Ultimately, it will rule on a range of major questions of constitutional and public law that flow from this complex, emotive and potentially divisive question, issues which go to the heart of the in vitro fertilisation (IVF) debate.