OTTAWA, Jan. 25, 2001 (LSN.ca) – The situation in Canada regarding the vast moral minefield of new reproductive technologies (NRT) is admittedly a disaster with no formal law in place banning experimentation on unborn babies. With experimentation in the field involving human embryo cloning, animal-human hybrids and the like, Canada’s voluntary moratorium on such practices is laughable.
A report in today’s National Post reveals that Health Minister Allan Rock is set to release a national policy on NRT which would ban the most grotesque experiments (such as growing embryos in artificial wombs), but give government sanction, and allow funding for destructive experimentation on live human embryos up to 14 days development. As these considerations are still under review there is an urgent need to present objections to the Health Minister.
The arguments to allow destruction of and experimentation on human embryos center around stem cells and the potential they may hold for eventually finding cures to deadly diseases. However such stem cells can be procured from the umbilical cords and placentas of live born babies and can also be extracted from adult human cells.
Concerns may be expressed to:
The Hon. Allan Rock, Minister of Health [email protected] Minister’s Office – Health Canada Brooke Claxton Bldg., Tunney’s Pasture P.L. 0913C Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0K9 Fax: 613-952-1154
See the coverage in the National Post at: https://www.canada.com/cgi-bin/np.asp?f=/news/nationalpost/stories/20010125/450116.html