London, Oct 23: Britain`s lower house of
Parliament has approved legislation allowing scientists to
create animal-human embryos for medical research, in the
biggest shake-up of embryology laws in two decades.
Despite opposition from religious and pro-life groups,
MPs in the House of Commons backed the Human Embryology and
Fertilisation Bill by 355 votes to 129 yesterday. It will now
go to a vote in the House of Lords, and could be law by
November.
The wide-ranging bill, which has been debated for
months, would also allow "saviour siblings" -- children created
as a close genetic match for a sick brother or sister so their
genetic material can help treat them.
In addition, it gives lesbians and single women easier
access to in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment by removing
requirements for clinics to consider a child`s need for a
father.
Health Minister Dawn Primarolo told lawmakers the bill
was about helping the one in seven couples who needed fertility
assistance, and about research to deal with diseases such as
Alzheimer`s, which affects 3,50,000 Britons.
Hybrid embryos, created by inserting the nuclei of a
human cell into an animal egg, can ensure a more plentiful
supply of stem cells for use in research into treating
conditions like Alzheimer`s and Parkinson`s.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown is a strong defendant of
the measures, saying Britain owes it to future generations. His
son, Fraser, has cystic fibrosis, a disease which could one day
benefit from embryo research.
However, 16 MPs from his ruling Labour party, including
former minister Ruth Kelly, a staunch Catholic who quit the
government this month, voted against the bill and religious
groups warned it was the next step on a "slippery slope".
Bureau Report
