blog.bioethics.net

Gordon Brown on animal-human embryos

The UK's parliament is continuing to move forward on the country's Human Embryology and Fertilisation Bill. In a piece this past weekend in The Observer, the British PM argued for a legal framework that would allow for the creation of animal-human embryos:

Embryonic stem cell research has always been controversial and I respect the views of all those with religious convictions which they see as precluding this type of research. But I also see the profound opportunity we have to save and transform millions of lives through this strand of medicine.

That is why we have - patiently and with full regard for religious concerns - sought to introduce clear laws which permit the use of stem cells within a clear, managed, legal framework, subject to the strictest supervision.

And there is one major and controversial issue we must confront head on if we are to make further progress. Around the world, researchers now face a severe shortage of embryonic stem cells.

They argue that the safest way to maintain progress is to make use of animal eggs from which the animal genetic material is almost entirely removed, then a human cell nucleus added, to make them compatible for research on human diseases.

If these 'human admixed embryos' survive for a few days, stem cells may be collected from them and grown in culture. The embryos are then destroyed.

By permitting the use of this technique, we may be able to bring to an end the critical limiting factor in stem cell research: the lack of human eggs from which to create embryos and collect stem cells.

Right now, teams of scientists in London and Newcastle are researching conditions such as Alzheimer's using this technique, but they face uncertainty because there is no clear legal framework to govern their work.

Our bill will provide such a framework to support the research but within clear boundaries.

Admixed embryos will be allowed only where they are used for clear scientific purposes and it will be illegal to keep them for longer than 14 days. It will also be illegal to implant them into women or into any animals.

Let me be clear: if we want to sustain stem cell research and bring new cures and treatments to millions of people, I believe admixed embryos are necessary. The question for me is not whether they should exist, but how their use should be controlled.

On Monday, the House of Commons voted down an amendment that would have banned the creation of these embryos.

-Greg Dahlmann

Earlier on blog.bioethics.net:
+ The UK's debate on, well, almost everything
+ UK approves human-animal embryos