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Hybrid embryos one step nearer
by Rachel Harden
%231%23.jpg) Making their point: Christian Concern for Our Nation protest at Westminster to coincide with the Report PA |
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PLANS to create hybrid human and animal embryos for research received the approval of the House of Lords this week, after a wrecking amendment to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill was thrown out by a vote of nearly two to one. The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of Winchester, the Rt Revd Michael Scott-Joynt, were among members of the Lords who supported the amendment. But it was defeated by 268 votes to 96 during Tuesday’s debate on the Bill, which is at the Report stage. Scientists say that research on hybrid animal and human embryos is vital for their work on debilitating and life-threatening diseases. Under the government-backed plans, the embryos, containing a small amount of animal DNA, will be kept alive for 14 days, but cannot be implanted into a womb. This, experts say, will help with the shortage of human eggs. During the debate, Dr Williams spoke of his serious concern about the legislation “which is gradually but inexorably moving towards a more instrumental view of how we may treat human organisms”. He said he had “major moral reservations” about the Bill. Lord Alton and Lord Tebbit were among those who also spoke in support of the defeated amendment to the Bill. The Health Minister, Lord Darzi, said that such research would be highly regulated. He resisted accusations from Lord Tebbit that such research was highly unnatural. He pointed to other “unnatural” discoveries which included IVF treatment and which had helped many people. Supporters of the pressure group Christian Concern for our Nation staged a rally outside the House of Lords during the debate. The group is objecting to the creation of animal-human hybrid embryos; the selection of embryos to become a “saviour sibling”, while the remaining embryos are discarded; and the removal of the legal consideration of the “need for a father” for children created by IVF. The Lawyers Christian Fellowship hosted a seminar on related issues after the rally. www.ccfon.org |
