§ 3. Sir G. Nabarroasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what further steps he is taking to introduce amending legislation for human organ transplantations, with special reference to renal transplantation.
§ 4. Mr. St. John-Stevasasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will appoint a committee to investigate the question of the law and practice relating to organ transplants.
§ Mr. CrossmanI have nothing to add to what I said in reply to the hon. Member for Warwick and Leamington (Mr. Dudley Smith) on 21st July, 1969. I see no reason to appoint a further Committee on the subject of organ transplants. —[Vol. 787, c. 250–1.]
§ Sir G. NabarroDoes not the right hon. Gentleman recall that in each of the last two Parliamentary Sessions he has persuaded me to withdraw a Private Member's Bill, entitled Renal Transplantation, against an assurance that he was contemplating the introduction of comprehensive measures for amendment of the human tissues transplant legislation? Why is he now revoking his earlier assurances on this vital topic?
§ Mr. CrossmanThey are not revoked. What I also made clear was that on this subject it was most important that public opinion should have time to reflect and determine itself, and I do not think that the time has yet been long enough.
§ Mr. St. John-StevasAlthough the MacLennan Committee has made a most useful contribution to our discussions of the topic, would it not be useful to forming public opinion to have a full public inquiry at which all points of view in the medical profession could be placed before the public so that the public could make up its mind on this extremely complicated question?
§ Mr. CrossmanI will certainly take that proposal very seriously. I would say that this was an issue on which the public had had a great deal of material presented to it in both the popular Press and the informed Press. I would have thought that it was a subject on which people were now able to think for themselves without too much further stimulation.