Politics
Thursday July 3, 2008
See today's LifeSiteNews stories
Human/Pig Hybrid Clones Approved for UK
By Hilary White
LONDON, July 3, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Doubtless in anticipation of the apparently imminent passage of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, the UK's embryo research authority has granted a license to scientists to begin work to create human/pig cloned hybrid embryos. The Labour government's proposed bill, however, would, if passed into law, do away with the necessity of researchers even asking for individual licenses.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) granted the license to the Clinical Sciences Research Institute, University of Warwick, who want to make the embryos in order to produce embryonic stem cells.
Professor Justin St. John told the Daily Telegraph: "We will take skin cells from patients who have a mutation for certain kinds of heart disease...and put them into pig eggs after their chromosomes have been removed. We will then make embryos so that we can attempt to derive embryonic stem cells which will allow us to study some of the molecular mechanisms associated with these heart diseases."
The researchers say they hope to use the cells to learn the origins and workings of certain types of heart disease and provide models for drug testing. "We will effectively be creating and studying these diseases in a dish," Professor St. John said.
The initial stages of the research will be focused on learning to create human/animal hybrid clones more efficiently.
The Christian Legal Centre responded to the announcement with a warning that this was only a "foretaste of things to come." Andrea Minichiello Williams, Director of the Christian Legal Centre, also argued that the 1990 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act does not give the HFEA the power to grant such licences.
"The HFEA has not met the 1990 Act's stringent standards for granting licences, in as much as these licences are neither 'necessary' nor 'desirable'," said Mrs. Williams.
"No significant advances have been made in embryonic stem cell research, while great advances in disease treatment have been seen in research on adult stem cells and umbilical cord blood cells," she said.
"When other viable alternatives to such controversial research already exist, such as human induced pluripotent stem cells, then it cannot be claimed that such new research is either necessary or desirable."
The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) have called on supporters to contact their MPs to defeat the HFE bill, currently moving into its final stages in Parliament.
Mrs. Williams added, "When we are talking about making human pig clones, we should lament our dulling of conscience as a society which permits such embryos to exist. This underscores the deplorable state of bioethics in which the UK now finds itself."
To find out who your UK MP is:
http://www.spuc.org.uk/mps
Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Defeat Embryo Bill and Abortion Amendments say UK Parliamentarians
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jul/08070212.html
U.K. Researcher: Creation of Human/Animal Hybrid Embryos is Easier than Expected
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jun/08062006.html
Back to TopSHARE THIS STORY: E-mail Print Newsvine Digg Reddit Del.icio.us Facebook
Latest Headlines
- Majority on Mexican Supreme Court Endorse Constitutionality of Abortion Law
- Pelosi Spokeswoman About-face: Catholic Church "Clear" on Life Teaching After All - But Catholics Need Not Listen
- Pro-Life Billboard Vandalized with "Joker" Face Paint and Slogan: "Why So Serious?"
- Round Up - All You Need to Know about the Democratic National Convention
- McCain: "If I Am President, Advancing the Cause of Life Will Not Be Above My Pay Grade"
- Mainstream Media Admits Anti-Family Bias: NBC to 'Gay' Activists: 'Your Victories Are Our Victories'
- Pelosi's Theologizing on Abortion is a Repeat of Biden's Own Quotes on Meet the Press
- Murder Victim's Family: Proposed Tory Bill Shows No Compassion
- Canadian Pro-Life Hero Linda Gibbons Celebrates 60th Birthday Behind Bars
- Canada's Human Rights Commissions a Threat to Academic Freedom: US Academic Elites
- 13th Canadian Bishop Publicly Denounces Morgentaler Order of Canada
- US Report: Over 900,000 Doses RU-486 Have Been Prescribed
- Jews, Muslims, Evangelicals, Catholics, Mormons, Sikhs and Hindus Join to Fight Homosexual "Marriage" in California
- Letters to the Editor for Wednesday, August 27, 2008
- Biden's Bishop Will not Permit Him, Even if Elected VP, to Speak at Catholic Schools
Most Read this Week
- Biden's Bishop Will not Permit Him, Even if Elected VP, to Speak at Catholic Schools
- Bishop Calls Modern Cultural Changes "Pleasing" to the Devil
- "Catholic" Speaker Pelosi Denies that Catholicism Condemns Abortion
- The Enemies of Life in Ecuador Messed with the Wrong Bishops
- Cardinals, Bishops and Congressmen Slam Pelosi on Abortion
- Talk a Woman out of Abortion in the UK? Two Years Jail
- Articles in Prominent Medical Journal Doubt Worth and Benefit of HPV Vaccines
- American Apparel Defends "Pornographic" Billboards
- Levant Target of Latest Human Rights Complaint By Homosexual Activist
- New York Cardinal - Pelosi Not Worthy of "Providing Leadership in a Civilized Democracy"
MORE NEWS: 
LifeSiteNews.com Home Page Last 10 Days Archives Special Reports
Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.