Daily Echo - 8 May 2008

Written by Sandra Gidley on Thu 8th May 2008

Next week we will start debating the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill. Quite simply, there are a number of complex issues under discussion and many of these raise ethical questions. When we are talking about embryology and the beginnings of life there is a potential to do good but doctors and scientists can be accused of "playing God".

The example of "Saviour siblings" is an interesting one. As genetic testing increases there will be cases where, for example, bone marrow may not be available but it may be possible to select an embryo which will produce a child with compatible tissue which it will be able to donate to its brother or sister in due course. On the one hand will save the life of the existing child but on the other hand there will be tiny embryos which will also be destroyed in the process.

Those with a purist view on these matters will almost certainly come to the conclusion that such meddling is wrong. Full stop. Those with a more pragmatic view could conclude that this practice is for the greater good. Some may have concerns about whether the child should be told why they were born. If a child is told will this make that child feel more loved or less? Will they feel extra specially chosen or will they feel that they were only brought into this world to save a child who is possibly loved more? Who can say?

Even if that issue can be resolved the next niggling question is whether this is the start of a slippery slope. Some believe that the matter of saviour siblings can be treated as a special case. Others are concerned that once we start selecting embryos then this makes it easier to extend this practice to other scenarios. Many people are instinctively uneasy about the concept of embryo selection. Others, who have lived with the consequence of a debilitating hereditary disease may be pleased that there is a way to guarantee that any child will not suffer. It's not about a desire for perfect children but there are some conditions which are difficult for parents and children to live with.

I have outlined just one of the many complex issues that the Bill wrestles with. They deserve time and attention so it is a shame that the Bill will almost inevitably be hijacked by those who seek to change the law on abortion. Abortion deserves a Bill all of its own so that MPs can concentrate on the issues coming forward in the forthcoming parliamentary moral maze.