The recommendations contained in the long-awaited report from the Commission on Assisted Human Reproduction have been described as "extremely progressive" by a member of the Irish Council for Bioethics.
Prof Peter Whittaker, speaking in a personal capacity yesterday, said what stood out for him was the recommendation that constitutional protection to the unborn should only begin when an embryo was implanted in a woman's womb.
"That is a radical proposal which I think would probably not accord with Catholic teaching but one I think which would bring Ireland more into line with many other European countries," he said.
"A lot of the suggestions seem to be paralleling developments that have occurred over the last few years in the UK in this respect," he added.
A geneticist at the Centre for Economic and Social Aspects of Genomics at Lancaster University, Prof Whittaker, also said he felt "comfortable" with the commission's proposal that research should be permitted on surplus embryos generated during IVF treatments. This was because it was difficult to argue you were on track to have a human being until after an embryo was implanted in the womb, he said.
Furthermore, he said a recommendation paving the way for lesbian, gay and unmarried couples to avail of assisted reproduction services was "a brave development if it happens".
Details of the report's recommendations were published in The Irish Times yesterday.
Prof Martin Clynes, director of the National Institute for Cellular Biotechnology at Dublin City University welcomed the proposal that there be a regulatory framework in this area. The commission has proposed the establishment by statute of a new regulatory body to deal with all issues arising from human infertility treatment.
He also welcomed the fact that it is reported to have recommended fertility treatment be widely available and that the commission was opposed to the generation of IVF embryos for the purpose of research.
However, he felt it would be "unwise" to define the life of the unborn as beginning at implantation. "It would be important that any legislation would recognise the scientific fact that every IVF embryo is a new human individual," he said.
The suggestion that pre-implantation testing would be allowed on embryos suggested embryos that failed the test would be discarded, he said. "It's opening the door really to designer babies," he added.
The director of the Human Assisted Reproduction Ireland unit at Dublin's Rotunda Hospital, Dr Michael Darling, said that at the moment the unit was operating within Medical Council guidelines but it would be good to have legislation.
Ms Cora Sherlock, spokeswoman for the Pro-Life Campaign, said the key recommendations of the commission were incompatible with the right to life and human dignity.