Is selecting an embryo for its genes legal?

At the moment in the UK, it is legal to select an embryo for its genes. A technique called Pre-
implantation Genetic Diagnosis is used to screen for a handful of genetic diseases. Doctors
select only healthy embryos and implant these into the mother's womb.

Is it legal to genetically engineer animals?
In the UK, it is legal to genetically engineer mice, cows, pigs, sheep and goats.
The Medical Research Council, which funds most animal experimentation in British labs,
stated that "UK law and animal ethical codes require researchers to use the least 'advanced'
animals and the minimum number wherever possible. We expect genetically modified mice
will remain the most important species where animals have to be used to help us
understand disease and improve health." Genetically engineered monkeys such as ANDI
would therefore not find much favour in UK labs.
Who makes and enforces these laws?
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), which was set up in the UK in
1991, ensures that all UK treatment clinics offering In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) or Donor
Insemination (DI), or storing eggs, sperm or embryos, conform to high medical and
professional standards and are inspected regularly. They collect comprehensive data about
such treatments, and provide detailed advice and information to the public.
The HFEA also licenses and monitors all human embryo research, supervising controlled
research for the benefit of humankind. They also consider the ethical implications of a
number of key issues.
As fertility and genetic manipulation techniques develop, the law needs to review their
application for each new case. The law needs to catch up with the science.