以細胞核置換（CNR）方式產生之複製胚胎，究竟如何適用英國一九九○年人類受精及胚胎法，在英國有二項爭議，惟業經司法判決而解決。第一項爭議有關以 CNR 方式產生之胚胎是否為一九九○年人類受精及胚胎法第一條第一項第a款定義之胚胎，上訴法院及上議院均認為係在該法胚胎定義範圍內。而第二項爭議有關該法第三條第三項第 d 款是否禁止人類複製，初審法院、上訴法院及上議院均認為以 CNR 方式產生胚胎並不在該法禁止之範圍內，因而以 CNR 方式從事複製人類胚胎之行為不在禁止範圍。至於再生性人類複製，則因國會於二○○一年通過人類再生性複製法而受到禁止。因而英國司法審判及立法之結果，係英國禁止再生性人類複製，但治療性人類複製並不在禁止之範圍，然須受到一九九○年人類受精及胚胎法之規範及經主管機關核發執照。

In the United Kingdom, there are two issues about whether live human embryos created by cell nuclear replacement (CNR) fall outside the definition of embryo of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 (1990 Act) and whether licensing the creation of such embryos is prohibited by section 3(3)(d) of the Act. The Court of Appeal and House of Lords determined the first issue that embryos created by cell nuclear replacement fall within the scope of the 1990 Act. As to the second issue, the Courts of different instance decided that the development of cell nuclear replacement is not prohibited under section 3(3)(d) of the 1990 Act. Two weeks after the High Court decision, Parliament passed the Human Reproductive Cloning Act 2001 which makes it a criminal offence to place in a women a cloned human embryo. As a result, the therapeutic cloning is permitted, regulated and requires a license whereas reproductive cloning is prohibited in the United Kingdom.