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This was recently posted to the SPRING web site by Maureen McHugh, and I feel it is important enough for a wider audience. It seems that by a combination of misinformation and petty politics, research into Therapeutic Cloning in the UK is in serious danger of being banned. If you live in the UK it is important that you contact your MP and let him know your views as soon as possible - the debate is next week, so time is of the essence. You can also fax your MP at http://www.faxyourmp.com/ Donaldson may fail Ministers are now seriously concerned that the Government's proposed new Regulations under the HFE Act 1990 may not be approved in the Commons. Despite the best efforts of many to persuade them, MPs continue to wrestle with this issue and a large number of them remain undecided. Some observers believe that the issue will used as a party political weapon by the Conservatives with the forthcoming election in mind, while some Labour MPs are unsympathetic because they consider it to be a Liberal Democrat plot. We must dispel these notions and inform MPs that this is a vitally important issue and new research could eventually benefit around 5.6 million people in the UK (equivalent to around 8000 people in the average constituency). After a period of quiet, pro-life and anti-cloning supporters are now swinging in to action. Cardinal Thomas Winning, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Glasgow has been in the news with the Vatican's plan for an adult stem cell bank while last Thursday (7th Dec.), the Government conceded to the demands of Ann Winterton MP (amongst others) agreeing to a full adjournment debate on Donaldson. This has been scheduled to take place on the morning of Friday December 15th. The vote will follow on the 20th or very soon after the Christmas break. It is crucial that everyone in support writes to their own as well as other MPs. We emphasise this time: 1) Over 100 Medical research Charities are in support including household names such as the British Heart Foundation, the Breast Cancer Campaign, the Imperial Cancer Research Fund, the MS society, the Royal National Institute for the Blind, the PDS etc. They can't all be wrong. 2) The Church of England is now in support, as is the Bishop of Edinburgh. 3) Respected scientific institutions including the Royal Society, the Medical Research Council and the Nuffield Council on Bioethics are in support. 4) There simply is no evidence to date that adult stem cells or stem cells from the umbilical cord can produce the type of cells need to treat neurological conditions such as PD, Huntingdon's etc. (from Austin Smith, Head of the Embryonic Stem Cell Biology Unit, Edinburgh, Dec 6th). 5) There will be no human cloning, it is prohibited in law and a new Act will reinforce this total ban. 6) The HFE Act 1990 already allows surplus IVF embryos to be used in research into infertility, miscarriage, contraception, congenital disease and investigating genetic abnormalities. There are only 3 licences held in UK. 7) The HFEA will apply the same stringent controls on research applications under any additional categories. We should ask MPs to understand that writing or typing letters may be very difficult for people with a disability and that their post bag is not representative of public opinion across their whole constituency. Please write, email, Fax or phone your own and other MPs. They do take public opinion very seriously into account. Constituency addresses, phone and fax numbers of all local MPs are in the telephone directory under Members of Parliament in Business and Services section. You can contact any MP via the House of Commons switchboard, just call 0207 2193000 and ask for your chosen MP. You can also fax your MP at http://www.faxyourmp.com/ - the system will ask for your postcode and will look up your MP's details automatically. If your own MP has expressed support then he/she has a duty to represent your interests in this. Urge them to attend the debate on Friday and suggest some specific points they might make. For further info contact: [log in to unmask] or [log in to unmask] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Simon J. Coles Email: [log in to unmask] For Parkinson's Disease Information see http://www.coles.org.uk/ =============== Life is too precious to take seriously ===============