Title: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill
1The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill
2Legislative Timeline
- Abortion Act 1967
- Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990
- Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill 2008
3Abortion Act 1967
- Provided immunity for prosecution under Offences
against the Person Act 1861 for certain
categories of abortion - Abortion on grounds of risk to mental or physical
health of mother up to 28 weeks - Abortion up to term to save live of mother
4The 1990 HFE Act
- Human embryos can be frozen, experimented upon
and destroyed - Donor gametes legalised
- Door opened for preimplantation diagnosis,
therapeutic cloning, saviour siblings - Social abortions up to 24 weeks
- Abortions for disability up to term
5Results of 1967 and 1990 Acts
- 6.8 million abortions
- 2,200,000 embryos destroyed
6HFE Bill 2008 Several steps further
- Threat to human dignity animal-human hybrids
- Threat to the family commodifying children and
creating them fatherless - Threat to human life itself liberalising
abortion law
7The HFE Bill in the Lords all amendments lost
- A ban on the creation of animal-human hybrids
- - lost by 96 to 268
- A ban on the use of saviour siblings
- - lost by 62 to 180
- An amendment calling for the 'need for a father'
for IVF children - - lost by 93 to 164
- Restricting saviour siblings to life-threatening
disease - - lost by 121 to 162
- A ban on abortion between 24 and 40 weeks
gestation - lost by 22 to 89
- The Hunt test animal human hybrids only if no
other way - lost by 42 to 197
8The Lords Why did we lose so badly?
- This is a government bill and so has the full
support of the government - The major scientific and medical institutions are
backing the government (MRC, Welcome, Royal
Society, BMA, Royal Colleges) - Eight of the nine doctors in the House of Lords
back most of what is in the bill - Those pushing the bill are incredibly well
organised
9The HFE Bill What happens now?
- The Bill completed its passage through the House
of Lords on 4 February - First reading in House of Commons 5 February
- Second reading (debates stage) in House of
Commons 12 May - Committee Stage with votes on fathers, saviour
siblings, animal-human hybrids and abortion on
19-20 May - Time is very short!
10The House of Commons what hope?
- The down side
- - Most MPs will not be well informed
- - The vote on the whole Bill will be whipped
- - The government has a huge majority and most
are pro the bill and pro-abortion - The up side
- - Abortion, fathers, saviour siblings and
hybrids will be conscience votes - - MPs are worried about losing their seats
- - Public and media opinion counts!
11Animal-human hybrids What is driving this?
- Scientific curiosity
- The biotechnology industry
- The prestige of the British government
- Patient interest groups
- The Media especially The Times
12Animal-Human hybrids Why?
- To produce cloned animal-human embryos for
embryonic stem cell research - Cloning human embryos hasnt worked and
harvesting human eggs is difficult and dangerous
13Stem cells to treat disease
- Michael J Fox Parkinsons disease
- Christopher Reeve Paralysis
- Ronald Reagan Alzheimers disease
14Harvesting stem cells from embryos
www.arhp.org
15Animal human hybrids what is proposed?
- Cybrids cytoplasmic hybrids produced by
therapeutic cloning using human nuclei placed
in empty animal eggs (the only hybrids with any
research potential) - True hybrids human eggs fertilised with animal
sperm and vice versa - Chimaeras Embryos comprised of both human and
animal cells
16Animal human hybrids
- Unethical crossing species boundaries,
violating kinds, allowing end to justify means - Unnecessary unlikely to work, ethical
alternatives rapidly becoming available
17Human embryonic stem cells
- Harvest involves destroying human embryos
- Have been successfully cultured but no treatments
so far - No stem cell lines have been recovered from
cloned embryos - Grow unpredictably in culture and have tendency
for tumour formation - Any treatments are 15-20 years off and therefore
embryonic stem cells are only being used in
research
18Embryonic stem cells alternatives
- Embryonic like stem cells (called induced
pluripotent stem cells or iPS) can now be
produced by reprogramming ordinary adult cells
(Yamanaka, Thomson, Nov 2007) - Adult stem cells already treat over 70 diseases
- Umbilical cord stem cells are already used in
treatments and are easily harvested - Embryonic stem cells are unethical and
unnecessary
19Lord Winston stem cell hype
- I was concerned that parliamentarians have been
convinced that it was just a matter of a few
years before we would be able to transplant stem
cells and cure a lot of neurological disorders
- Lord Winston, BA president
- (5 September 2005)
20Saviour siblings
- Production of embryos using IVF techniques to
produce genetically matched children to donate
tissue for transplant to affected siblings - Govt plans to extend use from life-threatening
to serious diseases - Bill in its present form allows donation of stem
cells, cord blood, bone marrow cells and even
part organs - Harvesting tissue carries dangers for the donor
21Saviour siblings problems
- Production of saviour siblings involves
destruction of embryos that are not the right
genetic match - There is a slippery slope from life-threatening
to serious diseases operating - It has only ever worked in a very small number of
patients and alternative treatments are available
- Children should not be used as a means to an end
- The use of cord blood and adult stem cells will
in time make this technology redundant
22Need for a father for IVF children What is
proposed?
- No need to have regard for childs need for a
father recognised for IVF children - Removes choice over having a father for some IVF
children - Removes biological father from birth certificate
23Fatherhood issues
- Should parents rights eclipse childrens rights?
- Research shows that children without fathers are
at a disadvantage - Medical and genetic history will be lost
- Issues of identity who am I?
- Creates a legal fiction whereby the biological
father is removed from the childs history
2440th Anniversary of Abortion Act 27 October 2007
25Abortion - Public opinion is changing
- More than three-quarters of women support a
reduction in the six-month upper age limit - Nearly two-thirds of the public want the
six-month upper age limit reduced now - 65 of GPs support a reduction in the six-month
upper age limit
26Concerns about late Abortion
- 100 late abortions beyond 24 weeks each year
since 1991 - Recent case at 26 weeks for cleft palate
- Joanna Jepson
- Downs Syndrome
273D Ultrasounds
- Walking in the womb at twelve weeks
- Yawning, smiling and thumb-sucking at 20 weeks
- Accessible moving images on you tube
28Fetal pain
- The Abortion industry consensus denies pain
perception below 26 weeks, but there are - Hormones, reflexes and physiological changes at
18 weeks - Prof KJS Anands research suggesting sensation at
18 weeks
29Neonatal survival
- The EPICure Study 1995 shows survival at 23 and
24 weeks of 11 and 26. ?EPICure 2 better at 24
weeks - But in Centres of excellence (eg. Minneapolis)
66 and 80 of babies survive at 23 and 24 weeks - UCL study published January 2008 shows similar
conclusions
30Abortion survivors
- Stories of babies born alive after abortion as
early as 16 weeks - Survivors testimonies - Gianna Jessen
31Health effects of abortion
- Mental health RCPsych Report 16 March says
women may be at risk and no evidence of
psychiatric grounds for abortion - Pre-term delivery Increasingly robust data of a
link between abortion and premature birth - Breast cancer A biologically plausible link and
some studies showing an association
32Abortion - what we are up against
- The coalition
- Prochoice MPs
- Abortion providers FPA, MS, BPAS
- BMA, RCN, RCOG, BAPM
- The liberalisers agenda
- Retaining the 24 week limit
- Abortion on request in 1st trimester
- Nurse abortion
- Home abortion
- Excluding doctors who object from seeing women
- Extension of Act to Northern Ireland (some)
-
33The Media is waking up last six weeks headlines
- Babies feel pain before 24-week abortion limit
(Telegraph, 28 Jan) - Survival rate soars for the babies born early -
fuelling the debate over abortion limits (Daily
Mail , 1 Feb) - 66 babies in a year left to die after NHS
abortions that go wrong (Evening Standard, 4 Feb) - Women commits suicide after aborting twins (Daily
Mail, 22 Feb)
34Abortion What we can do?
- To support amendments to HFE Bill seeking
- Lowering of 24 week upper limit
- Lowering of birth upper limit for disabled babies
- Fully informed consent for women
- To oppose amendments to HFE Bill seeking
- Liberalisation of abortion law
35What can we do?
- Get informed
- Sign abortion petition at www.aliveandkickingcampa
ign.org - Write to and/or visit your MP
- Educate people in the churches
- Pray
36Key things to ask and pray for
- Defeat of the bill at second reading
- Passing of amendments to neutralise bills
effects - Courage for MPs, esp govt MPs, to put their heads
above parapet and vote against bill and for good
amendmenst
37Useful web addresses
- Christian Medical Fellowship
- (www.cmf.org.uk)
- Alive and Kicking
- (www.aliveandkickingcampaign.org)
- All Party Prolife Group
- (www.hfebill.org)
- Passion for Life
- (www.passionforlife.org.uk/)
-