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<p>The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, as amended (1990 Act), provides
that human embryos created by in vitro fertilisation that are not transferred to a
patient cannot be allowed to develop beyond a maximum of 14 days. The 1990 Act also
provides that the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) cannot licence
research using human embryos unless the research is necessary or desirable for the
purposes specified in the Act and the use of embryos is necessary.</p><p> </p><p>The
HFEA has advised that the number of embryos allowed to perish in the last 12 months
for which figures are available (1 July 2013 - 30 June 2014) is 174,316.</p><p> </p><p>In
relation to the number of embryos allowed to perish since the 1990 Act came into force,
the figures are as follows:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td><p>Embryos
allowed to perish</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>1990</p></td><td><p>6</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>1991</p></td><td><p>8,164</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>1992</p></td><td><p>23,035</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>1993</p></td><td><p>27,466</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>1994</p></td><td><p>32,176</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>1995</p></td><td><p>37,270</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>1996</p></td><td><p>47,808</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>1997</p></td><td><p>48,024</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>1998</p></td><td><p>57,427</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>1999</p></td><td><p>77,269</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2000</p></td><td><p>85,938</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2001</p></td><td><p>88,039</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2002</p></td><td><p>96,377</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2003</p></td><td><p>96,309</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2004</p></td><td><p>98,348</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2005</p></td><td><p>100,547</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2006</p></td><td><p>108,080</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2007</p></td><td><p>116,342</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2008</p></td><td><p>112,050</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009</p></td><td><p>132,536</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010</p></td><td><p>155,557</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011</p></td><td><p>168,613</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012</p></td><td><p>166,631</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013</p></td><td><p>169,644</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Total</p></td><td><p>2,053,656</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>This includes embryos that have been thawed and allowed to
perish, either because they have reached the end of their permitted storage period
or at the request of the patient, and those discarded in the course of treatment.</p><p>
</p><p>The HFEA does not hold data in its register of the number of embryos experimented
upon.</p><p> </p>
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