British Section of the World Federation of Doctors Who Respect Human Life

Sir, I have been greatly disappointed to learn that the Prime Minister has pledged a free vote on elements of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill. This is not because such an issue does not warrant such freedoms of conscience. Maintaining unquestionable ethical standards is vital to any new statute. The reason is that, once again, a religious organisation has successfully managed to introduce its own moral dimension to an issue that will affect the lives of millions of people regardless of their individual beliefs.

Any religious organisation is entitled to air its views and some, if not many, may choose to listen. Some adherents may even choose not to avail themselves of the derived benefits of such scientific programmes. Others, however, will choose to benefit, and no religious group has the right to interfere with freedom of choice. Once again, religion has provided us with a compelling reason for keeping it thoroughly divorced from matters of state.

Dr Stephen Merron

Wolverhampton

Sir, Professor Colin Blakemore (letter, March 24) is right to draw attention to the plight of patients with incurable diseases, but is mistaken in his belief that embryo stem-cell research is the way forward. Despite the huge sums of money that the Government has spent so far in supporting this research, to date it has yielded nothing of significant therapeutic value.

On the other hand, adult stem-cell research is actually yielding promise along several lines of research into serious diseases. Professor Shinya Yamanaka and his team at Kyoto University have now found a way of programming adult stem cells to have the same properties as embryo stem cells. Similar work is going on by Professor Boris Reizis and team at Columbia University Medical Centre, New York, and by Professor Robert Blelloch and colleagues in California. Professor Ian Wilmut, who led the team that created Dolly the sheep, has publicly backed Professor Yamanaka’s work (indicating that cloning is no longer essential). The adult stem-cell route is now being researched for use in a vast range of diseases including heart disease, leukaemias, Parkinson’s disease and motor neuron disease.

Dr Matthew Thalanany

Colchester

Sir, Many opponents of this Bill are concerned less by the issues at hand and more by the failure to make legislation stick. Rabbi Jonathan Romain (letter, March 24) is right that there are many aspects that could be justified, but we know that, like the the gun crime laws, legislation will not be enforced. The Bill must be rejected until we have a legislature that can be trusted to ensure effective implementation of the safeguards he mentions.

G. Sasse

Broughton Astley, Leics