Please register to attend vital public meeting being held by HFEA over human-animal hybrids
20th June 2007
Headline
TV’s Nick Ross to host key public meeting on the legalisation of creating human-animal hybrids. Meeting being held in London on Tuesday 26th June (6-8pm).
Public Meeting
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority are holding a public meeting to discuss the issues raised through the Hybrids and Chimeras consultation (see the links to our previous e-mails on the subject, below).
This is a key piece of legislation. When hearing evidence last week the Parliamentary Committee was told by journalists “the public don’t care about these issues” – our MPs and Peers have been fed the view that people do not care whether scientists are allowed the power to combine the genetic material of animals and humans to create hybrids.
It is vital that Christians take this opportunity to stand up publicly for the sanctity of God-breathed human life – MPs must hear the message that many in the public do believe that humans are clearly distinct in the creation plan from the animal and plant life that God has placed on the earth.
The meeting is being held from 6 - 8pm on Tuesday 26th June at Jurys Hotel, 16-22 Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3NN.
The meeting is being chaired by TV's Nick Ross and there will be an opportunity for people to put questions to a panel made up of:
Dr Lyle Armstrong - Lecturer in Stem Cell biology, University of Newcastle
Rev. Dr. Stephen Bellamy - Vicar of St. James' church Birkdale, Southport
Josephine Quintavalle - Co-founder of Comment on Reproductive Ethics (CORE)
Christine Young - Special Parkinson's Research Interest Group
John Cornwell - Director of the Science and Human Dimension Project at Jesus College, Cambridge and regular writer for The Tablet
There will be votes taken on the evening in order to gauge public opinion on this issue: a strong show of opposition to this worrying proposed law will have a real impact.
How to register for a place at the meeting
To register for a place at the meeting please email
Once you are registered, you will be asked to submit a question for the panel. We suggest that you ask questions that are as specific as possible. For example:
Are there any cures for Parkinsons which do not require embryonic stem cells?
Are there any risks associated with creating hybrids?
What will the result of animal-human hybrids really be? Will we call it a human embryo, animal embryo, inter species embryo or something else?
Will animal/human tissue be any good for humans? Won’t it be dangerous?
How far off are these claims from becoming reality?
Has anybody cloned a human embryo anyway?
Links
“Urgent action required on current Parliament Bill” (16th June 2007): http://www.lawcf.org/index.asp?page=Urgent+action+required+on+ current+Parliament+Bill
“Important new Embryo Bill undermines the family” (9th June 2007) http://www.lawcf.org/index.asp?page=Important+new+embryology+Bill+ undermines+the+family
