Dear Ben Bradshaw,
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill is not quite as straightforward as you might think. As an atheist myself, I’m very much in support of using science to better people’s lives within certain boundaries. But if the newspapers are correct in saying that this Bill will allow the creation of hybrid human-animal embryos, we are entering into totally different territory.
IVF, for example, helps those couples who struggle with fertility. Seeing as fertility has been dropping in the western world for several decades, it seems fairly logical to give married couples a helping hand if they wish to start a family. To my mind, this is ethically justifiable and a correct use of science to help people and improve their lives, without any moral baggage. This contrasts with creating hybrid human-animal embryos which, even to a non-religious person like myself, sends a chill down my spine. Using science to manipulate people’s own cells to help improve their lives is one thing, but to start creating hybrids of different species is an entirely different issue and one that I am deeply uncomfortable with. When a senior Catholic cardinal says that “it is difficult to imagine a single piece of legislation which more comprehensively attacks the sanctity and dignity of human life than this particular bill”, I find it very hard to disagree with him.
Even though I believe euthanasia and abortion are both easy to justify in certain circumstances, I simply cannot support interfering with life at this level. The fact that Labour still haven’t given their MPs a free vote on this matter tells me all I need to know about the contempt they have for their own supporters, let alone the British public.
Yours sincerely,
A.Tory
3 responses so far ↓
beachhutman // March 24, 2008 at 3:24 pm
I was unamazed to hear a minister saying that his colleagues would support the bill if they understood it. This is the line they use on the electorate, we would vote for them if we weren’t so stupid. On this occasion it also seems to suggest that normally they vote for bills they are told to vote for but don’t understand
Like the EU treaty?
Letters From A Tory // March 24, 2008 at 10:16 pm
Quite possibly. I wonder how many MPs read through this bill in its entirety, or bothered to read the real content of the Lisbon Treaty? Maybe they just got their researchers to give it a quick skim!
Candid // March 25, 2008 at 8:33 am
Human/non-human animal hybrids have been around for centuries…… in fairy tales and fiction novels and this is where they belong. Western scientists have found research by the Japanese trying to combine cow and whale DNA. this is the research that justified their slaughter of whales (including the endangered species). I dislike aggreeing with clerics but even as a biologist I have to agree that this science will not lead to any great discoveries that will help humans or non-human animals.
I’m glad that the British government has finally allowed researchers to use embryo DNA for stem cell research as this field could open up a world of possibilities and help thousands, if not millions of people world wide.
Scientific reaserch does have ethical and moral responsibilities and sometimes these lines can be blurred if the benefits of the research outweigh the costs. But each needs to be fully considered on a case by case basis.
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