Dr. Mary Wingfield:

As I said previously, there is an opportunity to produce legislation that will be the envy of others, such that they will follow us. The draft Bill is excellent, if we have the right discussions and tweak it the way we suggest. Friends who are lawyers also have some issues with it, but if we have a meaningful discussion, I believe it can be really good.

Counselling definitely must be part of assisted human reproduction treatment. However, the Bill proposes that nobody have treatment without first seeing a counsellor. That is very prescriptive. Counselling is something that must be individualised. Many receiving fertility treatment find that starting it is a source of huge relief. They are finally getting to have treatment which is successful for most. It is often during or after treatment that they require counselling. There must be some leeway for the doctors and nurses looking after those involved. Even the embryologist in the laboratory would sometimes discuss things with them. Last week we carried out a quick survey of our patients in advance of this meeting. Some 170 people responded to the questionnaire, of whom 80% felt counselling should be offered, while 60% felt it should not be mandatory for everybody going through treatment. That would be the feeling of most people in Europe and around the world. In the past one clinic in Ireland insisted on everybody receiving counselling before they underwent treatment and many hated it. It was really a box ticking exercise. As people were not allowed to receive treatment unless they saw a counsellor, they just went to see the counsellor for the sake of it. Making it mandatory is not the way to go. It will waste precious resources which should be kept for those who really need them.