Call for wider embryo use denigrates humanity

London, Sunday, October 21, 2007 - The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) has described a call for even wider use of human embryos for research as a step back for civilised values. SPUC was responding to reports that Professor Ian Wilmut of Queen's Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh, Scotland, will tomorrow (22 October) use a lecture at Edinburgh University to make such an appeal

John Smeaton, SPUC's national director, said: "The professor's reported request would further denigrate respect for innocent human life. This is what happens if one regards human embryos as things to be created by scientists in a manufacturing process. Humans can be used as experimental matter, manipulated and frozen, as if they were mere laboratory substances.

"British legislation is already in breach of international law, in particular the Universal Declaration of Human Rights under which all human beings, regardless of their status, must be treated as persons under the law."

Article 2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: "Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status."

The declaration is on the web:

http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html

Professor Wilmut is credited with creating the first cloned mammal.