---

Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill [HL]

I have not joined in the proceedings before. I missed Second Reading but I have listened to the whole of the Committee stage so far. The main part of the argument of the noble Lord, Lord Alton, was that he wondered what a child would think when it grew a little older and was told by its parents that its body had been used for this purpose. Most young people are extremely idealistic. If a parent said to a child, ““We were asked whether cells from your body could be used to save other children from dreadful diseases and I gave permission for that. I don't know whether you succeeded in your help, but perhaps some progress has been made””, I would have thought that that child would be absolutely thrilled to have been able to help. I am sorry that the church—part of the church, anyway—is being so depressing about the possibilities before us. As a church person myself I find it sad. I appreciate what the noble Lord is doing—he does it beautifully and with huge integrity, and I admire him for it—but I am sad about it and it is the church that is doing this. I am not talking about all the other issues because I am not sure that I fully understand them all, but on his point about what the child would think when told by its parent that it had helped in this way, I think he is wrong.