Society for the Protection of Unborn Children
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London, SE11 4AB, United Kingdom
Telephone: (020) 7091 7091
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Pro-lifers object to "GM babies" proposal

Westminster, 26 September 2000--Britain's leading pro-life lobby group has criticised proposals for the use of genetic techniques to generate human embryos from a woman's egg and two men's sperm.

Paul Tully, general secretary of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, said: "This is yet another example of crude genetic manipulation. Each new proposal of this kind involves the creation of embryos for experimentation. Many or all of these embryos will be discarded or destroyed without regard for their humanity."

According to reports, the suggestion that two men could create a baby has come from Dr Calum McKellar, lecturer in bioethics and biochemistry at the University of Edinburgh and head of the European Bioethical Research charity. The nucleus of a woman's egg would be replaced with genetic material from one of the men. The egg would then be fertilised with sperm from the other man and implanted in a surrogate mother.