http://theaustralian.news.com.au/printpage/0,5942,4916796,00.html
The Australian PM's cell law may ban abortions, say doctors By John Kerin and Misha Schubert 17aug02 ABORTION could be outlawed under John Howard's stem-cell legislation, according to IVF specialists who claimed the draft of the proposed laws may have been "hijacked by Catholics and conservatives". IVF Clinic Directors Group chairman David Molloy last night warned the bill to allow the use of surplus IVF stem cells for medical research -- about to go before federal parliament -- would go far beyond what the state and federal governments agreed to in May. Dr Molloy said IVF clinic specialists were concerned that Section 18 of the Research Involving Embryos and Prohibition of Human Cloning Bill could apply to abortion as well as embryo research. "This legislation really now goes much further than what was agreed by the states and the commonwealth. It appears it has either been hijacked by the Catholics and the conservatives or is the result of exceptionally poor drafting," he said. Section 18 outlaws the collection of a viable human embryo from a woman after fertilisation. It involves removing the embryo from the uterus after fertilisation has occurred and offers a source of embryos for experimentation, which state and commonwealth ministers want closed. The bill seeks to apply a maximum term of imprisonment of up to 10 years. At the courts' discretion it also can fine a doctor $66,000 and a corporation $330,000. "What this could mean is that a doctor, in removing a viable human embryo from the body of a woman at least in the first 10 weeks, could be guilty of a serious offence," Dr Molloy said. "This could outlaw most abortions which are carried out in the first 10 weeks. "It is very sloppy drafting and you could have the case in future where some Right to Life group takes advantage of a loophole like this to take on a doctor legally performing an abortion," he said. But Council of Australian Governments Embryo Research Implementation Task Force chairman Clive Morris last night denied the claim. "In an abortion the doctor's intention is to destroy an embryo, this section talks about the collection of viable human embryo," Dr Morris said. "It is part of ensuring only embryos surplus to IVF requirements are allowed to be used for experimentation," he said. MPs and senators surveyed yesterday by The Weekend Australian expected the bill to pass the House of Representatives, but it was likely to be a closer call in the Senate, where the numbers are more evenly split. Both major parties have allowed a conscience vote. National Party senator Ron Boswell said he wanted the bill sent to a Senate inquiry. "That would give the scientists who are actually working with stem cells a direct say on the bill -- it shouldn't just be the 'investor scientists' getting all the airplay on this," he said. The Australian ************************************************************************* This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use." . -- -- Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Archived at http://www.cat.org.au/lists/leftlink/ Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Sub: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsub: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink