Baby out with the bath water!
ACT Greens MLA Deb Foskey has argued that the ACT Government has thrown its ethical baby out with the bathwater in agreeing uncritically to a national regime to regulate embryo research, including the use of human and other cloning.
"The Greens support establishing a regime for this research but believe it needs to be closely watched" Dr Foskey said today.
"Today I moved to put a sunset clause on the legislation so that the ACT Assembly would have to revisit this decision, and the ethical issues around it, in five years time."
"Unfortunately the ACT Government wouldn't support this amendment. Taking the position that as this legislation reflects an intergovernmental agreement, the ACT Assembly - which had to pass it - shouldn't amend it at all."
"It's my view that the whole area of embryo and genetic research is evolving at a rate of knots and it is important to reconsider the complex ethical questions at regular intervals."
"The ACT Government however has ducked the issue. It has argued that the Commonwealth's scientific review of the operation of the relevant acts would be sufficient but there is no need for MLAs to check how their ethical judgements stand up over time."
"In the interest of a nationally consistent approach to embryo research, this government has thrown its ethical baby out with the bath water" Dr Foskey said.
