The fertility regulator has been accused of an “astonishing failure” of oversight after an IVF clinic helped a woman to conceive a child after she forged her ex-partner’s signature.
Lady Justice Nicola Davies on Monday criticised policies by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) for not requiring a signature to be witnessed if one parent is absent.
It comes after the High Court last year ruled the mother had forged the father’s signature.
The pair separated after they had a son following fertility treatment, but she returned to the Hammersmith clinic alone and conceived a daughter using frozen embryos belonging to the couple.
The father, a businessman, told The Times that the fertility sector was like the “Wild West” after he failed to win compensation for the cost of raising the daughter.
According to law, having a healthy child is viewed as a benefit that cannot be measured, but the father, who cannot be named for legal reasons, plans to appeal to the Supreme Court after spending £750,000 on the case.
The HFEA has been approached for comment.