The Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Deceased Fathers) Act 2003 (c. 24) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Diane Blood's husband, Steven, died from meningitis in 1995. Steven gave her permission to use his sperm to have children.
In 1997, now a widow, Blood, took the British government to court to seek permission to have a baby using her then-deceased husband's sperm. The Court of Appeal ruled that she could only do this if she was treated abroad.
Blood then had four children conceived from the sperm of her husband, and took the government to court for her husband to be recognised as the father on their birth certificates.
The act amended the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 to allow, among other things, a man to be listed in birth certificates as the father of a child even if the child was conceived after the death of the man.
It is thought to affect around five to ten families a year. Up to 50 families with posthumously conceived children were expected to benefit from the legislation when it was passed.