Embryo Bill Introduced
The Research Involving Embryos and Prohibition of Human Cloning Bill 2002 was introduced into the House of Representatives by the Prime Minister, John Howard, on 27th June, the last sitting day until Parliament resumes after the winter recess on Monday, August 19th when debate on the bill may commence.
The Bill, as introduced by the Prime Minister, contains two distinct parts. The first deals with the prohibition of cloning and a variety of other practices, such as creating human-animal hybrids, generally considered unacceptable. It is a significant achievement for Kevin Andrews, who was given ministerial responsibility for cloning, that the ban on cloning is comprehensive with a definition covering all possible cloning techniques and applying regardless of the purpose for which cloning is undertaken. This puts Australia well ahead of the United Kingdom which has permitted cloning for research purposes and the United States where the Senate's Majority Leader has effectively (if temporarily) sidelined the Brownback bill which sets out to prohibit all cloning.
The second part of the bill deals with the controversial proposal to set up a licensing regime to be administered by a new committee of the National Health and Medical Research Council. Licenses could be given for any proposed research using human embryos if the Committee was persuaded that there was a "likelihood of significant advance in knowledge, or improvement in technologies for treatment , which could not reasonably be achieved by other means". It is hard to imagine researchers proposing to use human embryos for experiments in which there was no likelihood of any significant advance in knowledge or improvement in technologies. This makes it likely that almost any conceivable use of human embryos will be approved by the Committee.
The Prime Minister declined a proposal from members that the bill be split in two so that the non-controversial prohibitions on cloning and other unacceptable practices could be dealt with expeditiously deferring debate on the more controversial matter of research on embryos. However, he stated that the Government would not oppose a move to split the bill if there was a motion to do so.
In his second reading speech the Prime Minister reiterated his commitment to allow all Liberal and National party members and senators a conscience vote. A week earlier 18 members of the Coalition had co-signed a Joint Statement on Adult Stem Cells, noting the publication in the journal Nature of research by Catherine Verfaille demonstrating that a variety of adult stem cell her team had discovered was as flexible as embryonic stem cells in its ability to become any kind of cell. The signatories concluded that "the deliberate destruction of human embryos for research" was therefore unnecessary as well as unethical and contentious.
The 18 signatories were: MHRs Tony Abbott, John Anderson, Bob Baldwin, Alan Cadman, Ross Cameron, Trish Draper, John Forrest, De-Anne Kelly, Paul Neville, Sophie Panopoulos, Christopher Pyne, Alby Schultz and Senators Eric Abetz, Guy Barnett, Ron Boswell, John Herron, Julian McGauran and Nick Minchin.
The Prime Minister responded to this statement in his speech, "While there has been enormous developments in medical research involving adult stem cells, this does not, in my view, remove the need for embryonic stem cell research. This bill will give researchers the scope and the certainty to develop embryonic stem cell lines to lead to even greater advances in this field. I firmly believe that we should pursue both avenues of research simultaneously to maximise our chances of discoveries to cure diseases that continue to plague mankind."
This view on the usefulness of human embryonic stem cell research is not shared by Professor Peter Rowe, the Director of Sydney's Children's Medical Research Institute. He and the expert researchers at the Institute, such as Dr Patrick Tam, head of the Embryology Unit, believe that more research on the biology of animal embryonic stem cells (especially mouse cells, which are genetically similar to human cells) will enable us to harness the potential of human adult stem cells.
Professor Rowe suggests that research on human embryos is being promoted by "individuals, often with doubtful scientific credentials, who will be seeking to gain commercial benefit from their work while claiming to pursue altruistic goals."
Dr David Van Gend, speaking for Do No harm, Australians for Ethical Medical Research, said "Our elected representatives need to get over their fixation with embryonic stem cells, which remain both useless and dangerous, and focus on the dramatic but safe achievements of stem cells from our own adult tissue. Contrary to public illusion, stem cells from embryos have not achieved one single human therapy, and for serious technical reasons may never do so, while adult stem cells are rapidly being applied to a range of previously incurable afflictions."
Dr Van Gend also observed that "Drug companies can use embryos and stem cells in novel ways - as simulated pregnancies, as pure tissue preparations for testing new chemicals or cosmetics, as rich resources to be plundered for research and development. If we abandon these embryos to the researchers, a fair bet is they are not being sacrificed to cure diabetes or Parkinson's - adult stem cells are looking after that side of things nicely - but to enhance the R&D capacity of multinational drug and cosmetics companies."
As the facts about the greater promise of adult stem cells for actual therapies and the real intentions of those advocating embryo research come to light it is expected that more members of Parliament will join those from both sides of the Parliament opposing the bill's provisions for destructive embryo experimentation.
Federal Parliament resumes sitting in August. It is vital that every AFA member contact his or her local members, urging them to vote against destructive embryo research. Both Labor and Liberal will allow a conscience vote on this Bill. So please call, visit or write to your local MPs, urging them to either vote against the Bill or make amendments to it which will prevent the further loss of human life. They can be reached in care of Parliament House, Canberra ACT 2600.
Family Update, July-August 2002, p. 1