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Please respond urgently to consultation on mitochondrial disease

An important consultation, by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), will close next Friday (7 December) on the genetic manipulation of embryos with mitochondrial defects. Researchers want to create human embryos in the laboratory that have genes from one man and two women. Alternatively they want to make a new embryos by combining two IVF embryos. This would extend the scope for destructive exploitation of human embryos, and in particular for more genetic experimentation on embryos, including human cloning. These processes reinforce the attitude that human embryos are things to be used, not early human beings. Embryos will increasingly be treated as mere commodities, ripe for commercial exploitation, and denied their proper status and respect as members of the human family. Please respond urgently to the consultation. We have produced a briefing with simple points that can be made in response to this important issue: http://www.spuc.org.uk/campaigns/alerts/2012/mitochondria20121130 Please make a submission by going online and submitting your responses at: http://mitochondria.hfea.gov.uk/mitochondria [SPUC, 30 November]

SPUC calls for widespread resistance to Irish expert group abortion report

SPUC which was officially represented in the A, B & C case before the European Court of Human Rights, has called for "widespread resistance" to the report published by Ireland's Expert Group on abortion. SPUC describes the report's recommendations as "unconstitutional" and "a door to mass abortion on a British scale". John Smeaton, SPUC director, commented: "We call upon all people of good-will in Ireland, including the Catholic bishops, to back an all-out campaign to defeat - not just amend - any options allowing abortion. This will require widespread resistance to be mobilised. Ireland's politicians should be put on notice that they will lose their seats at the next election if they vote to legislate for abortion." [SPUC, 27 November]

Other stories:

Abortion

• Head of European Parliament's women's committee pressures Ireland to legalise abortion [Irish Times, 1 December]
• Pro-abortion reporter Savita says story may be 'muddled' and there may be 'no request for a termination' [Life Institute, 2 December] Reporter claims that Irish Times "never suggested that a termination of pregnancy might have saved [Savita]'s life" [RTE, 3 December]
• Abortion and mental health - a psychiatrist's experience [Youth Defence, 1 December]
• Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) publishes terms of reference of Savita inquiry [BreakingNews.ie, 30 November]
• I receive a beautiful gift at meeting about new abortion clinic in Preston [John Smeaton, 30 November]

Embryology

• Doctor charges governments with ignoring causes of infertility [CNA, 2 December]

Euthanasia

• Islamic Sharia Council urges Muslims to lobby against presumed consent to organ donation [John Smeaton, 30 November]
• Why opinion polls supporting euthanasia are a waste of space [Peter Saunders, 1 December]
• RCGP Chairman Clare Gerada moves to gag doctors on 'assisted dying [Peter Saunders, 30 November]

General

• Obituary: Richard Wilkins, pro-life and pro-family champion [Pat Buckley, 3 December]
• Congratulations to MaterCare International founder Dr. Robert Walley [MaterCare International, 29 November]

To subscribe to SPUC's email information services, please visit www.spuc.org.uk/em-signup. The reliability of the news herein is dependent on that of the cited sources, which are paraphrased rather than quoted. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the society. © Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, 2018