After the criticism from the bishops and questioning from David Cameron two weeks running at Prime Minister’s questions Gordon Brown has conceded a free vote to Labour MPs on the Government’s Embryology bill. Actually, he has only conceded free votes on three narrow aspects of the bill. Other equally controversial parts of the bill will be whipped (as was every aspect of the bill in the House of Lords).
For my own part I should like to see may more free votes. I think we were better governed when the party system was looser. It wasn’t long ago, after all, when only the candidate’s name was on the ballot paper and not his party affiliation. A healthier political system results when a government has to actually win the argument to secure its legislation rather than either threaten or offer inducements to its MPs to secure their votes. I am glad that David Cameron has indicated a desire to change things and I will do all I can to hold him to it.
On the Embryology bill itself, it is a highly complex bill which raises very profound questions about what it is to be human. It is going to take an enormous amount of study, thought, and prayer in order to get to grips with all its implications. I will read, listen, and participate in the debate with as open a mind as I can muster. It would be wrong, however, not to acknowledge that I come to the debate with some existing prejudice.
The Bill says nothing about abortion but amendments are bound to be tabled in order to make abortion easier or, on the other hand, to reduce the number of weeks within which abortion is permitted. My inclination is to oppose the former and support the latter.
Embryo research has been legal since 1990 and has had the benefit of enormous investment but not one therapy has resulted from this effort. By contrast, adult stem cell research has had much poorer funding but has yielded 80 therapies and 350 clinical trials. Furthermore nothing is being done to address the fact that the most prolific source of stem cells is cord blood, 98.5 % of which is simply thrown away. With this bill and its focus on hybrids, are we just barking up the wrong tree?
The Bill gives enormous power to Ministers subsequently to change the law without full parliamentary scrutiny and to authorise new research. I do not believe Parliament should give up these powers.
Although many of the fears about Frankenstein monsters may be misplaced, the bill does give rise to the possibility of fully half human / half animal hybrid embryos being permitted to survive for 14 days. I cannot think of one single argument for allowing such experiments.
The Bill allows the creation of saviour siblings: children whose primary purpose is to provide cures for older brothers and sisters. This raises all sorts of questions about the expectations of, and the rights of such children. It may be the beginning of a steep and slippery slope- something which might be said about so much of this Bill.
Of course it is right that every MP freely vote according to his or her conscience, and anyone who votes against their conscience has no place in a free parliament. |
