Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers by Lord Darzi of Denham on 19 March 2008 (WA 44) and 12 January 2009 (WA 96–97), whether the ability to develop if implanted in a woman is or has been essential to the definition of an embryo according to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990.
Answer
The potential of a human embryo to implant and develop into a foetus if placed in a woman is not an essential factor in defining the meaning of an embryo in Section 1 (Principal terms used) of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990.