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Speculation Growing That Anti-Cloning Bill In Parliament Likely To Die DENNIS BUECKERT Canadian Press Thursday, September 18, 2003 OTTAWA (CP) - There's growing concern that the government's legislation banning human cloning and regulating stem cell research could be left to die again. Some MPs foresee the bill getting caught by the same backbench revolt that roiled this week's debate on same-sex marriage. Health Minister Anne McLellan and House Leader Don Boudria have both said they want the bill passed this fall, yet it has not been scheduled for debate. The delay is feeding speculation. "I think they're a little nervous that it won't pass," Rob Merrifield, the Canadian Alliance health critic, said Thursday. Merrifield opposes the bill because it would permit research on human embryos left over from infertility treatment. The embryos are destroyed in the process. He is also concerned about the structure of a new federal agency that would be created to regulate fertility clinics and genetic research. Merrifield says there is nothing to prevent the board of that agency from being dominated by people with financial ties to the fertility and drug industries. The bill has been in the works for 10 years, ever since a royal commission issued an urgent call for regulation on a host of new reproductive technologies. A previous version died on the order paper prior to the 1997 election, and the fear is that this one could meet the same fate. Liberal Paul Szabo said the bill is fundamentally flawed, and would not even clearly prevent human cloning because of its narrow definition of cloning. He said it could have been brought to a final vote in April, and government strategists are worried. "I think they're aware that the number of Liberals that have some difficult with the bill has grown. "They have been calling around to speak to members and their pitch is basically that any bill is better than no bill." He said it would be better to repair the bill than to pass it as it stands. The bill was opposed by all opposition parties at an earlier stage but NDP health critic Judy Wasylycia-Leis said her caucus is considering supporting the bill in the next vote. "There's no basis for the government not to bring this forward other than lack of political courage," she said, while conceding that the government may have reasons to be worried. "They know they've got some wild cards in their own caucus. I think they're a bit unsure about their numbers." Wasylycia-Leis said she is still hoping to get some concessions from McLellan, notably on ensuring that women are adequately represented on the board. She said she's angry that McLellan reversed amendments proposed by the Commons health committee after its extensive study of the bill. One amendment would have prevented anyone with a financial conflict of interest from sitting on the board of the new agency. Diane Allen of the Infertility Network is deeply critical of the bill because it doesn't ensure children born through donor insemination can learn the identity of their biological fathers. But she says she still hopes it will pass. She noted that Nov. 1 will mark the 10th anniversary of the report of the royal commission. SOURCE: The Canadian Press / The Ottawa Citizen, Canada http://tinyurl.com/nx9i Reference: TIMOTHY CAULFIELD: Ottawa should amend Bill C-13 to make therapeutic cloning a carefully regulated, rather than banned, activity... http://neuro-mancer.mgh.harvard.edu/ubb/Forum71/HTML/007865.html ACTION ALERT: Canada's Bill C-13 about to ban Important Medical Research http://neuro-mancer.mgh.harvard.edu/ubb/Forum71/HTML/007899.html CANADA: Bill C-13 Where are we at today? http://neuro-mancer.mgh.harvard.edu/ubb/Forum71/HTML/008169.html * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn