Abbott digs in on stem cell ban
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20189782-2,00.html
August 20, 2006
Health Minister Tony Abbott says there's not enough evidence to suggest
expanding embryonic stem cell research will deliver medical breakthroughs.
As politicians prepare to reconsider the four-year-old ban on the.utic
cloning - creating embryos for the purpose of producing stem cells - Mr
Abbott remains strongly opposed to overturning it.
Prime Minister John Howard has promised MPs a conscience vote on the issue
if any bill comes before parliament.
[ed. An admission that politicians are party hacks and not representative
of the people - despite the 'democracy' rhetoric...]
Private members' bills are being drawn up by Democrats Senator Natasha Stott
Despoja and former health minister Kay Patterson.
But today Mr Abbott dug in his heels, accusing "evangelical" scientists of
"peddling" hopes of big breakthroughs from the.utic cloning to treat
conditions such as spinal injuries.
"People are asking us to cross a very serious ethical bridge for no good
reason because there is no strong evidence that this kind of research is
actually going to produce the massive breakthroughs that people are
claiming," he told ABC television.
"I think what we are seeing at the moment is a lot of peddling of hope but
no great evidence that these new and radical research techniques are
actually going to produce the breakthroughs that some of the more
evangelical scientists are claiming for them."
MPs and Senators needed to explain what had changed since parliament voted
in 2002 not to allow the.utic cloning, Mr Abbott said.
"I don't believe that anything significant has changed," he said.
"I'm quite happy with the decision the parliament took on a conscientious
basis then, and I think the advocates of change need to explain precisely
what has happened in terms of scientific breakthroughs, in terms of new
medical treatments, in terms of ethical insights to cause a unanimous vote
against human cloning ... to need revision."
Mr Abbott made it clear that he did not trust scientists to steer the
debate, saying they would want "a little bit more human cloning in a few
years' time".
Creating embryos purely for research purposes was a big step beyond current
stem cell research, he said.
"Even potential human life needs to be treated with great respect and we
shouldn't be willy nilly creating potential human life just to satisfy the
urges of the scientific community," Mr Abbott said.
"If you actually look at what's been happening in terms of research leading
to medical advances, it seems that adult stem cell research is very much
more effective at giving us potential cures than embryonic stem cell
research and these new human cloning possibilities that people suddenly seem
to be wanting us to explore."
Mr Abbott said he believed a large number of MPs and senators remained
undecided on whether to support expanding the research, but he acknowledged
that the independent Lockhart review of the issue had influenced some.
"I certainly think the Lockhart review has had an impact on people but I
think that the more people think about this the more concerned they will be
about just where this might be leading," he said.
Senator Patterson's private member's bill will be based on the findings of
the Lockhart review, which recommended the government allow scientists to
conduct the.utic cloning.
Present laws restrict embryonic stem cell research to spare IVF embryos.
[ed. Never mind the bloody closed-shop "conscience vote" by the select-few,
let the people have a say whether or not they want this to happen. It
doesn't matter a jot whether Abbot or Plott-Destroyer personally believe
in it or not, they are supposed to represent ALL their constituency, not just
their supporters (or in the case of the Democrats supportER). They have no
right to make such important decisions without public consultation...]
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