Tony Blair has indicated that the Government may back down over plans to outlaw “human-animal” cloned embryos in research that could improve the lives of those with motor neurone disease and Alzheimer’s.
The Times revealed yesterday that leading scientists were opposing attempts by ministers to prohibit experiments that involved fusing human DNA with animal eggs. A White Paper, published last month, proposed outlawing the creation of such embryos, at least initially, which the scientists said would deny society one of the most powerful tools available for medical research.
However, the Prime Minister said that the Government was “not dead set against” creating embryos that were part animal and part human. Mr Blair said that there were difficult issues surrounding the embryos, which would be more than 99 per cent human but have a small animal component.
The Times revealed that five leading scientists had made an impassioned plea to the Government and the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), which regulates embryo research. It will meet on Wednesday to discuss its policy on the issue and its approach over applications for licences to create the embryos.
The UK has avoided to a certain extent the superstitious claptrap inhibiting embryonic stem cell research in the United States.
Bringing Human-Sheep embryos to full term would probably produce the kind of voters the “coalition of the willing” prefers.
“Bringing Human-Sheep embryos to full term would probably produce the kind of voters the “coalition of the willing” prefers.”
Complete with wool pulled over their eyes.
You guys are having too, too much fun with Photoshop.
Do you want to know the real reason why Tony Blair changed his mind? The scientist sketched something that really turned him on…
thats a great pic there
Umm, aren’t humans already 100% animal?
#5 – Uhh no. If humans were animals, we could eat them because animals are made of meat.
See, this is why Scientists are smart and get paid lots. Wasn’t 100% human embryo going to fix these problems? The next thing will be that they have to actually make full blown half breeds because it will help solve some other problem, or so they say. And if anyone tries to argue with these guys they are called stupid (by the intellectuals), or religious.
Just because you can do something doesn’t always mean that you should, or don’t we remember Jurassic Park. OK, stupid example, but there are plenty of others like nukes, asbestos, pollution, and so on. And what is one of the first rules of science? Every reaction causes an equal and opposite reaction (at least up until the scientist need us to believe that this is totally harmless). I’m sure it’s harmless to them…it’s actually helping them. But where does this stop? The reality…they would hope it never stops….but at what cost?
#7 – I stand in awe of your incoherence. I have no idea what you just argued. My hat’s off to you… I think…