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The following information was posted before the HFE bill was debated in the House of Commons on 22nd October.
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What is proposed in the Bill?
The Bill, if it becomes law, will allow scientists to create genetically modified human embryos. It also allows scientists to create embryos that would be part human, part animal.
The Government want to allow the creation of animal-human hybrid embryos to use for embryonic stem cell research.
There are many ethical concerns about this. The Government had planned to ban hybrids, but has caved in under pressure from scientists who support such research.
P4L believes that there should be limits on what we allow scientists to do in the name of research. Just because something can be done, it does not necessarily mean it should be.
'Saviour Siblings'
The bill allows the pre-implantation testing of IVF embryos to find a match for an existing sick child. The embryos which are not chosen would be destroyed.
A child can then be created as a tissue matched child for the purpose of using this childs' tissue to treat the sick sibling.
Experts have been talking about the possibilities of creating children to supply organ transplants (such as a kidney) for their siblings. In the House of Lords, the Government changed this to say that 'other tissue' does not include any 'whole' organ of the resulting child. However this leaves open the possibility of part organs being used and any other tissue.
This is concerning because it causes the destruction of perfectly healthy embryos, and also because it involves the creation of 'spare part children'. These children could come to be seen as a commodity, bringing forth difficulties about balancing the rights of the so-called saviour child with the medical needs of the child's sibling.
It is also likely that there would be enornous emotional difficulties for the 'saviour sibling' as it grows in the knowledge it was created to save/cure another child rather than for it's own significance.
FAQ'S
Q – Isn’t it obvious that we need embryonic stem cell research to develop cures for Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s etc.?
A – No. Actually it’s obvious we don’t.
This research leads to the destruction of embryos on a massive scale (2.2MILLION since 1990). Each one of these, had they been implanted and not destroyed after 2 weeks could have gone to create another human life.
Some people justify their use by the desire to get new therapies and cures – but the facts are not a single therapy or cure has resulted from this research at all.
And there is an alternative; Adult stem cells. There are no ethical problems with the creation and destruction of these, and they have led to over 70 therapies and cures in the same time period.
So the science shows that greater research investment should go into Adult Stem Cells as that is the productive route to take, rather than the unproductive and unethical embryonic SCR.
Also, top scientists agree. See here.
Q – Why do scientists want to mix humans and animals?
A - It is difficult to get hold of embryos, even though 2.2 million have been created and destroyed since 1990. Some scientists and others want to find a new way of creating embryos to use for research. They consider using animals and mixing their tissues with those of humans is an easy way of creating embryos.
However, there are many ethical concerns over this. Each embryo is a potential human being and is destroyed after 14 days. As the Labour Peer Lord Ahmed said in the recent debate in the Hose of Lords ‘As a Muslim, I believe deeply that all life is sacred and I am disturbed to be a member of a society that…condoned the manufacture and destruction of around 2 million human embryos.’
He went on ‘It is deeply immoral to create a life simply in order to plunder it and dispose of it when it has outlived its usefulness'.
Q - The HFEA (Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority) has recently approved the creation of certain hybrids for medical research - so presumably it's already legal?
A - Yes, the HFEA recently provisionally approved licences for interspecies embryos, pending local research ethics committee approval. However there is no legal framework for them to do so at the present time.
On 3rd March this year, 40 cross party MPs (on all sides of the debate) wrote to the Daily Telegraph expressing their concern about this, saying "There is no legal framework for the creation of (these) interspecies embryos at present, and the Government acknowledged in the draft human tissue and embryos bill that such research was not covered by current legislation"
There are therefore many who think the HFEA acted outside it's authority by pre-empting the decision of Parliament and the democratic process.
Q - Scientists are saying the hybrids will be 99% human and only 1% animal – that’s not too bad is it?
A – This is the level that is always refered to. What isn’t being mentioned is that the bill legislates for ‘true hybrids’ as well. These will be 50% human and 50% animal.
P4L argues that both levels cross the line in terms of the sanctity of human life, but remember if the HFE bill becomes law, scientists will be allowed to create these true hybrids; which means an animal egg would be fertilised by human sperm, and human eggs could be fertilised by animal sperm. The UK will be the first country in the Western world to allow this to happen. In Canada, France and other countries, scientists could be put in jail for doing exactly what we are about to make legal.
That is why P4L is encouraging everyone to write to their MPs to tell them to vote AGAINST human/animal hybrids.
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