London, England, Mar 10, 2008 / 21:49 pm
Catholic Labour Party MPs have refused an offer from the British ruling government to allow them to abstain from voting on a bill that would allow the creation of human-animal chimera embryos and would permit in-vitro fertilization treatments to single or homosexual women, The Telegraph reports.
A defeat of the bill would be considered a major setback for Prime Minster Gordon Brown.
Geoff Hoon, the Labour Chief Whip, offered to allow objecting party members to stay away from the vote on the Human Fertilization and Embryology Bill rather than to follow their consciences and vote against the government’s legislation.
Several MPs told the Sunday Telegraph that the deal was not acceptable and that they will vote against the bill.