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Embryo Research

Posted on 14/05/08
P. Klein

Andy Reed, Loughborough MP, has voted for the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill which will confer the same rights and restrictions on the use of admixed embryos as human embryos.

The human fertilisation and embryology bill had its second reading in the House of Commons on the 12th May 2008. Andy Reed was one of the 340 MPs who voted for the Bill, whilst a mere 77 voted against. Gordon Brown, along with the other main party leaders, has vowed that his MPs will be given a free vote on parts of the legislation.

This legislation will give optimism to many sufferers from diseases such as Parkinsons as it is one of the most hopeful developments in this area of research. But this fact has been hyped to a sensational magnitude. Scandal-mongering and uninformed interpretations of what is complex scientific work have left the common person with giant misconceptions about what is really going on. Often ignored is the fact that this research could produce items that could improve the lives of millions.

What this legislation going through the parliamentary process however is nothing radically new ethically. The use of human embryos was legislated back in 1990 and mixing human and animal cells has been a tool in biomedical exploration for many years. This new legislation ensures that human admixed embryos are given the same protection and respect as human embryos.

One of the driving forces is stem cell research. Investigation into stem cells allows scientists to understand how our own body cells behave. In a developing embryo, stem cells can differentiate into all of the specialized embryonic tissues - they are all the same but how and why they form, deteriorate and perform different functions remains largely a mystery. Generating stem cells in this way, using animal eggs as "holders" for the developing cells will allow scientists to work much faster. The understanding that this could bring would be invaluable to all human beings, not just ones with degenerative conditions such as Parkinsons. Unless you understand how the body functions, you cannot cure it. Medical researchers think that stem cell therapy has the potential to radically change the management of human disease. A number of adult stem cell therapies already exist, particularly bone marrow transplants that are used to treat leukemia. In the future, medical researchers anticipate being able to use technologies derived from stem cell research to treat a wider variety of diseases together with cancer, Parkinsons disease, spinal cord injuries, and muscle damage, along with a number of other impairments and conditions.

Andy Reed said before the vote: "There have been so many differing views and interpretations it will be impossible to please everybody. Even in the Christian community there are widely differing views and this complexity needs to be recognised. What has disappointed me has the been the extremely fundamentalist positions on both sides which seem incapable of recognising this is a complex issue that needs careful thought and a balance. I know from experience this is often the case. However, the vast majority of people fall into the category that recognises there are shades of grey in such complex issues and I thank all of them for expressing such views. I wont dwell on some of the more extreme views that have been expressed by a minority"