Human life for sale, say bishops

Sydney
15 December 2002

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Human life for sale, say bishops

By Chris Lindsay

Federal Parliament has crossed a new and dangerous line by allowing the intentional destruction of human life in its new laws on embryonic stem cell research, says Archbishop Philip Wilson.

It had created a “class of human life which is statutorily expendable”, he said after the Research Involving Embryos Bill 2002 passed through the Senate.

The legislation will allow research which destroys surplus human embryos created through in-vitro fertilisation.

Archbishop Wilson, who is Archbishop of Adelaide, said the new laws “sacrificed human life for profit”.

“The parliament has created, for the first time in Australian political and legal history, a class of human life which is statutorily expendable,” he said.

“Human life now becomes a commercial commodity. Under these laws, human life is for sale.”

Archbishop Wilson, speaking on behalf of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, questioned whether politicians had listened to the will of the people on the question of using embryos for stem cell research, saying that of the 1851 submissions received by the Senate Community Affairs Committee, only 48 had been in support of the bill.

“The passage of this bill is evidence of the continuing slide towards wholesale creation and destruction of human life for various unproven medical and commercial uses,” he said.

The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Peter Jensen, also criticised the passing of the bill, saying the Government was now in breach of a number of important ethical codes.

Dr Warwick Neville, research fellow with the Bishops’ Conference, said the legislation “opens the door for the euthanasia lobby, because this legislation allows for the intentional destruction of human life.

“Many groups opposed the legislation for just this reason. The precedent is unbelievably chilling.”

The Senate’s approval was “the end of the line legislatively until there is the mandatory review of the legislation in three years time”, he said.

“At that time we will be able to assess whether the claims made for embryonic stem cell research by its proponents have come to anything,” he said.

“Some Senators have been talking about a High Court challenge before the states amend their legislation to reflect the federal legislation, but I think that is a long shot.

“I think this legislation has to be seen in terms of law and public policy precedents.

“This kind of legislation has never occurred in this country before and rarely in any other country.

“Human life has become a commodity.”

Dr Neville added: “We have crossed the line – in fact we have jumped over it – that says you don’t intentionally destroy life.

“It goes totally against the Hippocratic tradition of doing no harm.

“It will allow for more research into embryos and human material.

“The Senate rejected amendments which would have limited the research to disease.

“Now it can be used for drug and cosmetic testing.

“It will be almost impossible to argue against the next push for the use of embryos in other research.”

Independent Tasmanian Senator Brian Harradine has condemned the Senate’s rejection of an amendment he proposed that would have allowed consumers the right to know whether pharmaceuticals and cosmetics have been tested, created or manufactured using human embryos.

Archbishop Wilson welcomed the recent passage of legislation banning human cloning.

On that issue, parliament had voted emphaticallyto preserve the uniqueness of each human being, he said.

“Cloning, however executed and for whatever goals, distorts the human meaning of procreation, which is no longer considered for reproductive and relational reasons but programmed for medical, experimental and commercial purposes,” Archbishop Wilson said.