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Defeat for bishops over rule on ‘need for father’

by Rachel Harden

protests earlier this month against the fathers clause in the Embryology Bill © not advert
Defeated: protests earlier this month against the fathers clause in the Embryology Bill PA
THE House of Lords voted in favour of a clause in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill that deletes the rule on the “need for a father” for children conceived through IVF, despite opposition from bishops and other members on Monday. This paves the way for a two-mother family to become legal for the first time.

The Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Revd Christopher Herbert, spoke in favour of an amendment that would have replaced the clause removing the “need for a father” for children conceived through IVF with a requirement that those children should have “supportive parents”.

He said that while he “entirely recognised the abilities and commitment of many single-sex couples” in bringing up children, it did not follow that including the need of that child for a father was discriminatory. “It is a statement in our legislative processes about the general recognition that, in an ideal world, most children need good fathers and good mothers.”

The amendment, which was supported by the Bishops of Chester, Manchester, and Winchester, and by the Archbishop of York, Dr Sentamu, was defeated by 165 votes to 93. Bishops in the House of Lords also turned out on Monday to vote on other amendments — all defeated — to the same Bill.

Seven bishops (Chester, Exeter, Liverpool, Manchester, Norwich, St Albans, and Winchester) and Dr Sentamu voted in favour of an amendment that would allow embryo selection for saviour siblings only if the patient’s condition was considered “serious and potentially life-threatening” rather than just “serious” — the current wording.

Last week, an amendment to ban embryo selection for saviour siblings altogether was thrown out. Monday’s amendment on the same section of the Bill was also defeated by 121 to 161, despite concern expressed by bishops and other members of the Lords.

A second amendment, supported by a number of bishops and Dr Sentamu, on the issue of defining “serious” as “life-threatening, or impairing severely the quality of life of a person with the disability, illness, or condition”, was also defeated.

The Government said on Monday that it would review new consent laws within the Bill which would block cloning experiments involving embryonic stem cells, after a protest by scientists who wrote a letter to The Times.

The signatories, a group of biomedical scientists and administrators, said that the proposed new consent laws would hold back vital studies of diseases such as muscular dystrophy, Parkinson’s, and diabetes.

The Bishop of Liverpool, the Rt Revd James Jones, was the only C of E bishop to sign a letter published by church leaders this week condemning parts of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill currently going through Parliament.

The letter, signed by Bishop Jones and Roman Catholic and Free Church leaders, describes last week’s vote on that part of the Bill that would allow hybrid human and animal embryos for research as “not just evil, it’s crazy.” A wrecking amendment on that Bill (supported by a number of bishops) was thrown out by a vote of nearly two to one (News, 18 January).

The letter was organised by the Centre for Christian Democracy (CCD), the successor to the Movement for Christian Democracy founded by Lord Alton. All MPs and members of the House of Lords have been sent a copy.

The CCD is organising rallies around the country, to be led by Ann Widdecombe and other MPs, to discuss the Bill.


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