I will begin this chapter with a summary of the reasons for the success in the parliamentary debate of those who supported embryo research. The major outcome of this debate was the establishment of the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA) with responsibility for ensuring that research and clinical practice involving human IVF embryos in Britain is carried out in accordance with the regulations laid down in the 1990 Act, and for guiding the further development of embryo research. In the next two sections, I shall examine some of the cultural tensions facing the HFEA as it attempts to fulfil these obligations. I shall then compare the system of regulation that has been adopted in Britain with the system under discussion in the USA, before concluding with some brief observations on the pattern of social change that is likely to occur in the years ahead.

The triumph of hope over fear

The pro-research lobby emerged victorious from the series of parliamentary confrontations that took place during the 1980s. It had succeeded, not only in attracting support from many politicians who had been undecided initially about the use of human embryos for experimental purposes, but also in gaining the votes of a substantial number of those who had at first been firmly opposed to research of this kind. This success was due to a combination of many different factors.