§ Mr. Richard Page (Hertfordshire, South-West)I beg to ask leave to present, on behalf of 1,000 or more of my constituents, a petition for the protection of the human embryo. This petition, which has been signed by constituents from all parts of South-West Hertfordshire, affirms that the newly fertilised human embryo is a real, living, individual human being.
Today, as the previously accepted moral position is pressed by scientific advances, it is perhaps opportune that I am presenting this petition on the very eve of the Second Reading of the Unborn Children (Protection) Bill introduced by my right hon. Friend the Member for South Down (Mr. Powell). The petition concludes:
That this House of Commmons will take immediate steps to enact legislation which forbids any procedure which involves the purchase or sale of human embryos, the discarding of human embryos, their use as sources of transplant tissue or as subjects for research or experimentation, unless this is done solely for the benefit of the embryo concerned.To lie upon the Table.
§ Mr. William Powell (Corby)I beg to ask the leave of the House to present a petition signed by 3,450 people from all parts of my constituency relating to the Warnock report and the issues outlined by my hon. Friend the Member for Hertfordshire, South-West (Mr. Page). The petition is in the same terms as the one that he has presented. As he has so fully outlined the circumstances and as so many similar petitions have been presented to the House, I shall develop the matter no further save to say that I entirely agree with all those who have signed the petition.
To lie upon the Table.