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Proceeding contribution from Lord Sewel (Labour) in the House of Lords on Monday, 10 December 2007. It occurred during Committee of the Whole House (HL) and Debate on bill on Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill [HL].


Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill [HL]

I have listened very carefully to the argument of the noble Baroness, Lady Deech. As far as I could follow it, it went something along the lines that children derive great benefit from having a father. The examples were products of the social relationship of the parenting role between the child and a male parent, which led to great benefits in psychological, intellectual and social development. I do not necessarily disagree. But then the argument proceeds with an enormous jump. The jump then is that because of those benefits derived from a social relationship, the child has a right to a father. That is an enormous jump. It creates a right that is unenforceable. In a very simple example, what happens in the case of a child who is born posthumously and whose mother decides not to remarry?


Secondary information

Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
697 c28 
Session
2007-08
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
Subjects
Children Codes of practice Counselling Fertility Homosexuality Human embryo experiments Diseases Donors Ethics IVF Fathers Parents Medicine Research Stem cells
Legislation
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill (HL) 2007-08
Link
View this Proceeding contribution on www.publications.parliament.uk