Almost 2.5 million embryos have been deliberately destroyed in the United Kingdom since 1990.
According to statistics from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, since the passing of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act in 1990, 2,315,262 human embryos were deliberately discarded during IVF treatment.
In a parliamentary question to the Department of Health, Lord Alton of Liverpool asked: “How many human embryos were deliberately destroyed in the last 12 months for which figures are available? How many human embryos were transferred to uteri in order to establish pregnancies? And what are the cumulative figures for both circumstances since such procedures were made legal?”
In his official answer, Lord Prior of Brampton confirmed that between 1 July 2014 and 30 June 2015, 84,044 embryos were transferred to uteri and 172,184 were discarded.
He also revealed that since August 1 1991, that a total of 1,687,260 embryos were transferred and 2,315,262 human embryos were deliberately destroyed.
Last year, the Department of Health said that the total number of embryos which have been allowed to perish since 1990 stood at 2,053,656.
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