A BABY TO SAVE OUR SON

Governing Reproductive Technologies in Canada:

Laws which will govern the use of reproductive technologies in Canada have been hotly debated.

In 1989 the government set up the Royal Commission on Reproductive Technologies which released it's final report in 1993. The commission found Canada's medical professionals weren't following the standards recommended by associations in their field. The report went as far as to use the word "dangerous" to describe some of the services available to Canadians. It urged the government to pass legislation on this issue.

Bill C-47, the Human Reproductive and Genetic Technolgies Act was introduced to the House of Commons in 1996. It got as far as a first reading in the House before Parliament was dissolved. Bill C-247 was the country's second attempt to create legislation.  It failed on the second reading.

Bill C-13, The Assisted Human Reproductive Act was introduced in 2003.  The bill was supposed to help people have children safely and ensure that research into new reproductive technology was morally sound. It also called to create a regulatory body that would ensure proper standards are followed and prohibitions are enforced.

A group of MP's dubbed "The God Squad" delayed the passage of the bill over their oppostion to a clause which would permit research using surplus embroyos left over from fertility treatments. They opposed the clause on religious grounds. On October 28 2003, the bill finally passed a vote in the House of Commons.

It's opponents had also planned an intense debate in the Senate.  But the bill has now died on the order paper as the government has prorogued Parliament in anticipation of a new election. The bill will have to be re-introduced by the new government. In the meantime, Canada's laws on reproductive technologies remain in limbo.

Further Reading:

More about the Whitaker family:
'Designer baby' born to UK couple - a BBC news story about the Whitaker family

Designer Babies - for Love or Science? - from mind Magazine, looks at the Whitaker story from a Canadian perspective

Commentary: why it is wrong to select embryos to be tissue donors - commentary about the case from the U.K. watchdog group, Human Genetics Alert

dba.uk  - a website about Diamond Blackfan Anĉmia, Charlie Whitaker's medical condition


More about the use of stem cells:
The Storm over Stem Cells - a CBC.ca backgrounder about the stem cell controversy in Canada

The stem cell debate - from CNN.com, a detailed look at the issues in the U.S.


More about Reproductive Technology:
CBC.ca Indepth:  Genetics and Reproduction - the latest news and stories about this issue in Canada

Children of the Revolution - in-depth analysis from Guardian Unlimited


Institutes and Research Centers
Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority - a non-departmental Government body that regulates and inspects all UK clinics providing IVF, donor insemination or the storage of eggs, sperm or embryos.

Reproductive Genetics Institute - the U.S. Institute in Chicago that performed the procedure for the Whitakers

Human Genetics Alert - a British watchdog group

coreethics.org - Comment on Reprooductive Ethics, a public interest group that focuses on the ethical dilemmas surrounding reproductive technologies

Stem Cell Network - a group of Canadian experts on stem cell research

The Cord Blood Bank of Canada - a private organization that banks cord blood for Canadian clients

Alberta Cord Blook Bank - a non-profit organization that banks cord blood for public use

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