ABSTRACT
Apart from counselling for adoption, counselling was first mentioned in legislation in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act (HFE Act 1990) in the UK when it was stipulated that all patients for assisted conception or using donor gametes should have the ‘opportunity to receive proper counselling’. When the draft legislation was published much debate ensued on what comprised ‘proper counselling’. It was defined in a report by the King’s Fund, subsequently adopted by the Code of Practice of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA 1991) as comprising four components:
Information, containing details of the pathology and prognosis in understandable terms for the couple.
Implications, the way these data may impact on the couple and how they may react to them.
Support, after having explored the coping strategies developed by the couple.
Therapeutic, for those instances where intervention was required for the future stability of an individual or couple.
