Monday 3 December 2012

Must-read pro-life news-stories, Mon 3 Dec

Top story:

Please respond urgently to consultation on mitochondrial disease
An important consultation, by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), will close next Friday (7 December) on the genetic manipulation of embryos with mitochondrial defects. Researchers want to create human embryos in the laboratory that have genes from one man and two women. Alternatively they want to make a new embryos by combining two IVF embryos. This would extend the scope for destructive exploitation of human embryos, and in particular for more genetic experimentation on embryos, including human cloning. These processes reinforce the attitude that human embryos are things to be used, not early human beings. Embryos will increasingly be treated as mere commodities, ripe for commercial exploitation, and denied their proper status and respect as members of the human family. Please respond urgently to the consultation. We have produced a briefing with simple points that can be made in response to this important issue: http://www.spuc.org.uk/campaigns/alerts/2012/mitochondria20121130 Please make a submission by going online and submitting your responses at: http://mitochondria.hfea.gov.uk/mitochondria [SPUC, 30 November]

SPUC calls for widespread resistance to Irish expert group abortion report
SPUC which was officially represented in the A, B & C case before the European Court of Human Rights, has called for "widespread resistance" to the report published by Ireland's Expert Group on abortion. SPUC describes the report's recommendations as "unconstitutional" and "a door to mass abortion on a British scale". John Smeaton, SPUC director, commented: "We call upon all people of good-will in Ireland, including the Catholic bishops, to back an all-out campaign to defeat - not just amend - any options allowing abortion. This will require widespread resistance to be mobilised. Ireland's politicians should be put on notice that they will lose their seats at the next election if they vote to legislate for abortion." [SPUC, 27 November]

Other stories:

Abortion
Embryology
  • Doctor charges governments with ignoring causes of infertility [CNA, 2 December]
Euthanasia
General
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