There is a floating idea of a bio-ethics commission which is in some in the literature about campaigning against the bill. At the moment the Human fertilisation and embryology authority effectively regulate themselves with a panel of people all of whom are pro-cloning and they see that the law is implemented as it is. The idea of the bio-ethics commission is that it would introduce a more even panel perhaps with nominal members of each religion with the idea that this would ensure that the law was implemented safely. My opinion on this and having discussed it with a number of people is that the bio-ethics commission is simply a distraction from the main evil of the bill and we should be writing against the bill rather than to campaign to put something in which won't make the bill any less evil then it already is. We need to pray that it doesn't pass.
Why not the bio-ethics commission?
My feeling is that it could be a force of evil because lets say this commission was set up tomorrow and it had a catholic, a sikh, a evangelical christian, a hindu, a muslim and a pile of pro-cloning scientists well they would still come to the same conclusion that they would have done without the nominal religion representives present but also what if Mrs Bloggs who is a nominal catholic (perhaps a easter and christmas kind of a catholic) sees in the newspaper that this same panel which the Cardinal has called for has been responsible for a decision to allow 5 million embryos to be created to test hair products in a factory in Salford. Well is it remotely possible that Mrs bloggs might read this and think to herself.
"Oh, I agree with that decision because my voice as a Catholic was represented and they all sat round and had a rational discussion and came to a nice rational conclusion"
If this is even remotely possible then the bio-ethics commission could be a source of evil.
Can it do any good?
I don't think so, I think its will either be completely useless or evil. I can't see how it could be any good. People are saying that it will let the Catholic voice be heard and represented but people know what the Catholic voice is saying they are going to totally ignore us.
I don't think this commission is worth petitioning for at all. There are plenty of other issues on the bill to write about. This one is not worth the ink, i don't think
Thursday, 20 March 2008
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2 comments:
I think that you are right Niamh. The Government is trying to manipulate ethics and create a new version. An Ethics sub-committee would merely be another mechanism for this to take place. While ever the nation is bewildered and complacent in the face of serious issues, the Government is able to proceed, even if that means slowly. What is more important is the relationship between the nation and its Parliament. It is a question of the soul of the nation being alive and alert and helping Parliament to make the right decision. We must be guided by the truth about ourselves so as to be able to structure the world according to truth. It is here that the battle is won or lost.
Truth will set us free not compromise!
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