No role for fathers says fertility chief

The head of Britain's fertility authority will today call for an end to the law that says children born by IVF must have a father.

Suzi Leather, chairman of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, insists that the current legal requirement that women who undergo fertility treatment must find a man to act as father to their child is "anachronistic" and should be scrapped.

It would give the green light for single and lesbian women to seek IVF on equal terms with heterosexual couples.

Ms Leather will set out her views at the HFEA annual conference today, which will launch a wide-ranging review of Britain's human fertilisation laws, as set out in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990.

Insisting that current legislation is out of step with modern society, she said: "It is absolutely clear if you think about the changes in society and the different ways that families can be constituted that it is anachronistic for the law to include the statement about the child's need for a father. It seems to me a bit of a nonsense to have that still in the legislation.

"My personal view is that there should be more equal access to fertility treatment. I don't think single and lesbian women should be excluded solely on the grounds (that there is no father). There are certain circumstances in which children can grow up happy and well parented in the absence of a man."

Ms Leather's call, however, for the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 to be updated to accommodate fatherless families has angered some fathers' organisations.

Jack O'Sullivan, of Fathers Direct, said: "We are learning more and more from research about the importance of fathers in children's lives. We already know they can have a big impact on social skills of young children, the educational achievement of teenagers, and latest research shows they may be very important in adult mental health.

"Fathers matter and it would be a mistake to downgrade that important role."

Ms Leather will also use her keynote speech at the conference to call for a major crackdown on "designer babies".

It reflects growing concern among MPs and experts over some maverick fertility scientists. American Professor Panos Zavos sparked mass opprobrium this week after announcing that he had cloned the world's first human being.

In a strongly-worded attack, Ms Leather will accuse Prof Zavos of "breathtaking hubris".

She will say: "Stunts like his press conference risk bringing fertility treatment and reproductive science into disrepute."

Fertility treatment in the UK is controlled by the HFEA under legislation drawn up in