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Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill [HL]

My Lords, the noble Baroness, Lady Hollis, is absolutely right when she says the word of the mother or father is taken automatically when they register a birth. I am sure that there will have been cases when wrong information has been put on a birth certificate because it was believed that the mother or father was telling the truth and that it was an accurate record of the parentage of the child being registered. One can make a strong case that feelings can be hurt by what is on a birth certificate, but once you deviate from the principle that you must put down the truth, you are in all sorts of difficulty. Once we say, to be kind to people and not to hurt their feelings, that we will allow a lie, or, that as the truth is not always told, the truth is not important, then we are really in trouble. It is often hard to face the truth in many instances. But this is an official record, and I support the amendment. Once we deviate, we really are in trouble.