Parliament debates human-fertilization bill; abortion amendments blocked

October 22, 2008

The British Parliament took up a final debate on the controversial Human Fertilisation and Embryology (HFE) bill on October 22, under rules of debate that effectively stymied plans to introduce amendments that would have eased access to legal abortion. Those rules-- set by the Labor leadership to avoid defections a rebellion among Catholic lawmakers-- seemed likely to prevent a proposal to extend the UK abortion law to cover Northern Ireland. But even without abortion-related amendments the HFE bill would open the way to creation of 'hybrid' human/animal embryos, artificial fertilization for lesbian couples, and greater experimentation with human embryos.

 

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Further information:

• Ministers block MPs from liberalising abortion laws (Daily Telegraph)
• MPs debate NI abortion extension (BBC)
• Abortion and the Catholic vote (New Statesman)
• HFE Bill introduces measures which are unproven, unnecessary and unethical (Christian Medical Fellowship)