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Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill [HL]

My Lords, I tremble to join this debate, but I want to support the noble Lord, Lord Alton. I have been deeply encouraged to do so by the speeches of the noble Baroness, Lady Williams of Crosby, and of the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Winchester. I had a great many points to raise on this amendment but I will not raise them because it would just be repetitious and we do not need that. However, certain statements were made during the course of the debate. One was that 95 per cent of the biological community supports embryonic stem cell research, even though it has limited, if any, therapeutic benefit at the moment. Why do they carry on wanting that when, already, adult stem cell research has resulted in more than 70 proven therapies? We were then told that macular degeneration would be cured by embryonic stem cell research. Would not macular degeneration be cured by further adult stem cell research? We are also told that embryonic stem cell research has had private funding in the US and elsewhere. Have there been any positive results from that, because we have not heard of any? Above all, bearing in mind the comment about the 95 per cent of the biological community in support of embryonic stem cell research, I gently draw to the attention of noble Lords that, in an ICM poll for the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority published in July 2007 about research on hybrids and chimeras—what we are talking about, analogue human research—half the population was opposed to it. No one has mentioned that, out there, an enormous number of people have deep ethical concerns. It is not the religious faction; it is not the Roman Catholics; it is people who probably do not understand, but the scientific community has not done a great deal to try to make it simple for people to understand. We keep being told that adult stem cell research has resulted in more than 70 proven therapies and that embryonic stem cell research has not resulted in one proven therapy. No wonder people are concerned. Not for that reason alone, but in the main for that reason, I support the noble Lord, Lord Alton.