MPs urged by church to oppose embryo bill

Published on Saturday 2 February 2008 19:04

SCOTLAND'S 59 MPs are being urged to put God before Gordon when they vote on a controversial bill allowing research on human-animal embryos.

The Catholic Church in Scotland has written to all MPs north of the border to express its opposition to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill and asking them to press for a free vote.

It follows a letter, briefing pack and DVD sent to all 500 Catholic parishes in Scotland, which aims to raise concerns about the bill. The country's one million Catholics are urged to press their MP to oppose the bill when it returns to the Commons next month.

In the letter to local parishes, Archbishop Mario Conti describes the fusion of animal and human material resulting in hybrid embryos as a "monstrous act against human dignity".

The letter to MPs is less emotive but points out that the church believes research into life-threatening and debilitating diseases can be conducted without using embryos.

The Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and the SNP are planning to allow their MPs to vote on the bill according to their conscience.

Labour currently considers the bill, except any amendments on abortion, to be Government policy and its MPs are therefore obliged to support it.

But Gordon Brown is under pressure to allow his MPs a free vote. Catholics within the Cabinet including Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly and Defence and Scottish Secretary Des Browne are thought to have concerns.

Jim Dobbin, chairman of the all-party Pro-Life Group, is leading a delegation of Labour MPs who will press Brown for a free vote.

Scots microbiologist Dobbin said: "My view is that stem cell research, use of human animal embryos and the importance of fatherhood are all issues of conscience."