London, England, May 22, 2008 / 19:32 pm
The British public has been misled in regard to the Human Fertilization and Embryology Bill, according to many Catholic Ministers of Parliament. The bill passed this week in the UK allowing admixed embryos, “savior siblings,” and the role of a father during fertility treatment.
The vote on Monday, which supporters of the bill won by 336 votes to 176, included six Catholic Ministers of Parliament (MPs) voting against Edward Leigh’s campaign to avoid using animal-human hybrids in embryonic research.
Ex-Tory minister Edward Leigh, who led the fight against the creation of hybrid “admixed” embryos, said they were “ethically wrong and almost certainly medically useless.”
He said there was “no evidence yet to substantiate” claims the work could help treat diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.