Here is the link to a PDF of CL’s press release on this important Bill.

 The debate on Radio 4 news is really pretty lame. It’s portaying the question as “religion vs. science” and the biggest concern seems to be “strong feelings” rather than truth or happiness. Even if we cure all the diseases of (a very limited number of) people, will they be happy? Especially if they are aware of the cost of that happiness?

Clifford Longley pointed out, rightly, that the sanctity of human life is a Catholic concern, but is shared by most religious people, and lots of others. However, he sort of fell down philosophically in debate with a biochemist on whether the embryo is a human being (he seemed to imply that you need some kind of revelation to accept this fairly clear empirical fact).

The fact is that we do live in a bizarre quasi-eugenic (if not openly eugenic) society. All the monstrous sci-fi ideas of last century have actually come to pass and are neatly and properly regulated by people like the HFEA. It’s just not controversial any more, but organisations like Marie Stopes International are more or less highstreet brands. Other less familiar names associated with her include the UK based Galton Institute and various others who provide ‘the relief of poor persons by the provision of birth control advice’ (from the above link) – gosh, those words are shuddersome!