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Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill [HL]

My Lords, I also support the push of this amendment. Sitting on the pre-scrutiny committee, I found this one of the hardest issues. There were conflicting pulls and it was hard to know where the balance should lie. This was not about faith, beliefs or scientific background. It was a set of clashing considerations over, for example, whether the birth certificate should reflect the biological—that is, genetic—parentage or, as many same-sex couples might wish, the social parentage of a child. Secondly, where do the child’s wishes come into play as against, possibly, the social parents’ wishes? That child may wish the certificate to reflect his or her social parents. That child may prefer, for whatever reason, the birth certificate to reflect his or her genetic parents. In some societies, where you need a full birth certificate for entry, there could be possible areas of discrimination or stigma that the child might find difficult to handle. Thirdly, there is the issue of privacy. We all hope that parents will follow best practice and ensure that their children are aware of their origins, how much they have been wanted and so on. Yet some parents will not. I registered my own child at 10 days or whatever, but there was no subsequent evidence to back that up. The registrar took my word for it that I was the mother and that the person I said was the father was the father. That went on the birth certificate. How are you going to police it if a person should, wrongfully, seek to conceal the genetic origins? There is, effectively, a compulsory reporting system but, as far as I am aware, no way of monitoring the information put on that birth certificate—nor perhaps should there be. Given all of these problems—I do not know what I think about most of them—I would welcome some sense that we can revisit this issue. Where the consensus lies on any of these issues may change over the next few years, as greater openness, frankness, transparency, scientific information and understanding of the ethical issues come to the fore. As a result, we may find that we can come to a view collectively, as a society and as a Parliament, which reflects a consensus that does not currently exist. If for that reason alone, I hope that if my noble friend cannot accept this amendment today, something similar will be introduced in the other place.