Baroness Deech has dennounced as “irresponsible” proposals which undermine the role of the father, to be voted on by Peers next week as part of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill.
Baroness Deech, the former chairman of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, said that the change would be a “move backwards”, particularly coming at a time when “many argue Britain is suffering from a crisis of fatherlessness”.
Currently, IVF providers are required to consider a child’s ‘need for a father’ as part of its overall welfare. Baroness Deech affirmed this requirement as “a reminder that the welfare of the child is more important than the wishes of the would-be parents”.
The Government is seeking to replace this with a requirement for doctors to consider “the need for supportive parenting”.
But Baroness Deech condemned the change as “unacceptable and inappropriate”.
“The phrase ‘supportive parenting’ will mean little to the public,” she wrote in a column for The Times.
“Because it is speculative it will be difficult for practitioners to interpret, and it adds nothing of substance to the existing requirement to have regard to the welfare of the child.
“There is no reason to change the current approach, which works well.”
She added: “A substantial amount of research has demonstrated that fathers make a distinctive contribution to child rearing, without which children are generally the poorer.
“If we believe that the welfare of children is important, it would be irresponsible to allow the law to move backwards and lose explicit reference to fathers.”
Peers are expected to vote on the proposals on Monday 21 January. Baroness Deech has tabled an amendment to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill to retain the requirement.