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Proceeding contribution from David Drew (Labour) in the House of Commons on Monday, 19 May 2008. It occurred during Debate on bill and Committee of the Whole House (HC) on Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill [Lords].


Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill [Lords]

My hon. Friend makes a valuable point, and it is to do with the point about repair as against enhancement. If the Government clarified where they were drawing the line, perhaps I would feel much more confident that I was doing the right thing when I went through the Lobby tonight. As we all know, tonight's vote is a conscience vote. I do not have any expertise on the subject, but I feel a great deal of nervousness when I am given to understand that we are considering modifying human beings, whether at a preliminary stage, as my hon. Friend says, or subsequently. The Government should be very clear about the issue, and should set out in primary legislation what is entailed, and what they feel should be allowed. I should prefer that to what I suspect is happening in the Bill; I suspect that it would ensure that, as science evolves, we may be able to catch up with that evolution through secondary legislation.


Secondary information

Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
476 c47 
Session
2007-08
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
Subjects
Children Clones Animals Congenital abnormalities Fertility Licensing Human embryo experiments Diseases Donors Genetics Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority Ethics IVF Foetal tissue Medical treatments Relatives Research Stem cells Human-animal hybrid embryos
Legislation
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill (HL) 2007-08
Link
View this Proceeding contribution on www.publications.parliament.uk