Medical ethics

This page highlights some of the current parliamentary material available on medical ethics. This includes select committee reports, briefing papers on current legislation and other subjects produced by the parliamentary research services, and the latest Early Day Motions put down by MPs. Related information can be found under animal experiments.

Standard Notes

Date	Description
18.09.2012	Homeopathy and the consolidation of UK medicines legislation
	In August 2012 UK medicines legislation (including for homeopathy) was consolidated through the Human Medical Regulations. The law was not changed.
16.03.2012	Assisted suicide
	This note provides background to the offence of assisting a person to commit suicide under the Suicide Act 1961, in the context of terminally ill people who may be unable to end their lives without the assistance of family or friends. Particular reference is made to the case of Debbie Purdy, who in July 2009 obtained a House of Lords ruling ordering the Director of Public Prosecutions to formulate an offence-specific policy setting out the factors he will consider when deciding whether to prosecute assisted suicide offences. The note also considers a recent report by the Commission for Assisted Dying, a privately funded organisation, which recommended that Parliament should consider introducing a new legal framework on assisted suicide.
22.02.2011	Animal cloning
	A number of commentators have raised concerns about the implications of animal cloning for food safety, food supply and animal welfare. Others stress that animal cloning has the potential to improve animal welfare and farming productivity. It may even be used in the conservation of endangered species. This note sets out background information on the different arguments and the regulatory controls on the use of this technology in food production.
17.12.2009	Abortion law
	A brief outline of the law regulating abortion in the UK. A list of Bills related to abortion is provided in Standard Note PC/03657 and abortion statistics can be found in Standard Note SG/4418.
11.11.2008	Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill - What Happened?
	This Note describes the passage of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill 2008 through Parliament.

Research Papers

Date	Description
09.07.2008	Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill [HL]: Committee Stage Report
02.05.2008	Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill [HL]
05.10.2004	Mental Capacity Bill (Bill 120 of 2003/04)
	The Mental Capacity Bill became the Mental Capacity Act 2005, which came into force during 2007. As amended, it provides a legal framework and statutory code of practice for decision-making on behalf of those who lack capacity to make decisions for themselves, creates a statutory basis for advance directives to refuse treatment ('living wills'), and provides safeguards relating to deprivation of liberty. The Act also established a new Court of Protection and the Office of the Public Guardian.
09.01.2004	Human Tissue Bill (Bill 9 2003/04)
	The Human Tissue Bill became the Human Tissue Act 2004, establishing the Human Tissue Authority (HTA). The HTA licenses and inspects organisations that store and use human tissue for purposes such as research, patient treatment, post-mortem examination, teaching and public exhibitions. It also gives approval for organ and bone marrow donations from living people and maintains a Code of Practice which includes requirements for obtaining consent for organ donation after death.

Early Day Motions

Date	Description
23.01.2012	UNNECESSARY EUTHANASIA OF MILITARY HORSES
	That this House notes that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) euthanised 28 of its horses in 2011, including four for having a bad temperament; expresses concern that euthanasia is being ...
14.12.2011	MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES OF INDUCED ABORTION
	That this House welcomes the recent publication of the systematic review of the mental health outcomes of induced abortion by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and National Collaborating ...
12.10.2011	UNITED NATIONS REPORT ON MATERNAL MORTALITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS
	That this House notes with profound concern the recent report of the United Nations High Commisisoner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, on maternal mortality and human rights (A/HRC/18/27) ...
12.10.2011	UNITED NATIONS AND EVIDENCE ON DEATHS DUE TO BACK-STREET ABORTION
	That this House regrets the abuse of UN funds in publishing the badly researched report of Navi Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, demanding the end of all restrictions ...
10.10.2011	SAN JOSE ARTICLES ON THE STATUS OF THE UNBORN CHILD
	That this House welcomes the launch of the San Jose Articles on the Status of the Unborn Child in International Treaties and Law; further welcomes the declaration that in international ...

Lords Library Notes

Date	Description
14.11.2007	Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill [HL] (HL Bill 6, 2007-08) LLN 2007/007
	Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill. House of Lords Library Note 2007/007

POST Papers

Date	Description
18.03.2013	Preventing Mitochondrial Disease
	This note describes new treatments designed to prevent mothers with mitochondrial disease passing their condition on to their children and looks at the issues raised by their potential use in IVF.
03.02.2012	Biomedical Patents
	This POSTnote considers how patent law is applied to biomedical inventions and examines the potential impact on patient access to diagnostic tests and innovation.
03.10.2011	Clinical Trials
	This POSTnote summarises some of the most important reasons behind the decline in clinical trials in the UK, and the actions being taken to improve the situation.
01.04.2008	Research ethics in developing countries, April 2008
	Research ethics in developing countries, April 2008. POSTnote 08/304.