The House of Lords is set to vote on controversial proposals to allow animal-human embryos and so-called ‘saviour siblings’.
The pro-life Peer, Lord Alton, has tabled an amendment to the Human Tissue and Embryology Bill which will ban creation of animal-human embryos.
If this is not carried, Peers will have an opportunity to vote to restrict the practice so that it would only be used as a last resort.
Scientists want to create animal-human embryos for medical research. The resulting embryo is destroyed before 14 days of development.
Lady O’Cathain has put forward an amendment to completely ban the deliberate creation of so-called ‘saviour siblings’ which involves the selection of an embryo to ultimately be born and used as spare parts for a sick brother or sister.
Critics say the idea of ‘saviour siblings’ treats children as utilitarian commodities rather than human beings with inherent worth. The process also involves the destruction of sibling embryos that are not the ‘right match’ genetically.
Should Peers reject an outright ban, they will have the option of restricting the practice so that organs can not be harvested from such children.
For more information on the Bill, please click here.