House of Commons passes controversial new Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill

Despite bitter opposition from religious and pro-life groups, British MPs in the House of Commons passed the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill with an overwhelming majority vote, 355 to 129, after its third reading and report on Wednesday. The bill aims to modernize its 1990 predecessor in line with scientific advances and current social attitudes in what is considered to be the largest radical overhaul of embryology laws in nearly two decades. The bill, which originated in the House of Lords, will now return for the Lords to ratify changes, perhaps as early as November, before receiving the Royal Assent into law.

Amendments were tabled to reduce the number of required physician-approvals from two to one as well as allowing nurses to perform some early abortion procedures.

Backbench Labour MP Diane Abbott proposed a clause to extend the 1967 Abortion Act to Northern Ireland. She argued that the women of Northern Ireland are treated as 'second-class' citizens by not having the same freedoms that other UK women have. The House already rejected an amendment to reduce the 24-week legal abortion time-limit to 22-weeks in May 2008. Some ministers defended that this bill is not about abortion, which should be debated discretely and subject to its own reform bill.

There was discontent with the lack of time to discuss the removal of 'the need for a father' to be considered by fertility clinics when deciding whether or not to treat a women.. Instead, clinics are to substitute consideration for 'responsible parenting', making fertility treatments more accessible to single and lesbian women. Likewise, there was no further discussion of the bill's controversial clause to allow saviour siblings - fertility treatment used to select tissue-matched embryos so that the resulting child would be a bone marrow or umbilical cord donor for an older sick sibling.

A raft of amendments was introduced attempting to limit the bill, but comfortable majorities ensured none passed. Instead, heated debate focused on the controversial human-animal embryo research that the bill will allow. Nadine Dorries, a leading pro-life Tory backbencher, warned that the new law would allow the creation of 'humanzees' and that it would be 'sinister' to not explicitly ban these procedures.

Scientists have argued that the creation of 'admixed embryos'- the combination of human and animal reproductive materials -provides them with the materials to conduct vital research. They argue that the intention is not to reproduce any kind of a hybrid species, which the bill prohibits anyway.

The bill is a key Labour initiative with Gordon Brown, whose son suffers from cystic fibrosis and could benefit from this research, attending the Commons in person to vote. Brown has passionately defended the Bill, on which Labour MPs have a free vote.