Issue 99 英国新胚胎法成争议焦点

Labour MPs may not have to vote against their conscience over the government’s controversial bill on embryo¹ research, according to the health secretary Alan Johnson. He said he was confident and accommodation could be reached with Catholic MPs. Although he was convinced the Commons would still pass the bill. There has been mounting pressure for Labour MPs to be granted a free vote on the legislation, which would allow the creation of hybrid² human-animal embryos³, Keme Nzerem reports.

Talking down the reported Cabinet rift⁴ over human animal embryos, the government today said it wouldn’t make MPs opposed to the Human Fertilization and Embryology Bill supports it. This compromise probably means allowing abstentions rather than a free vote, but this being Easter Sunday another leading Catholic added his voice to the clamour.

“Well, there are some aspects of this bill, in which I believe there ought to be, a free vote, and because Catholics and others will want to vote according to their conscience, so I don't think it should be subject to the party whip.

The Health Secretary was today summarily dispatched to set the record straight. “The real issue”, he says “is not religious morality, or even party leadership, but about keeping Britain at the forefront of finding cures for diseases like Parkinson's and diabetes⁵.

So the bottomline is if only these people understood the science behind this and there would be no wrong.

“Oh I don’t think there is any doubt. But if people understand the complex issues here, they’ll support the bill. We’ve been 3 years discussing this. We had a public consultation⁶, pre-legislative scrutiny⁷, a joint⁸ committee of both Houses. There’s never been a bill that’s been scrutinized⁹ so much and I don’t think there’s any doubt that this would have enjoyed the majority’s support. The issue for those people who do have very deep conscience, or issues of conscience whether because they are faithful or because of other ethical¹⁰ or moral reasons, we have to respect and we will respect them.”

“Fundamentally, this is a question of whether you think that a microscopic¹¹ early human-embryo has the same rights as a grown human being with a serious disease.”

And the number of Labour MPs who are prepared to defy their whips and vote no is ought to be only in the teens. It’s hardly enough to assail¹² the government’s working majority of 67.

Now even if the goverments allow the free vote, it’s unlikely that more than 40 or 50 Labour MPs would rebel. And when you take into account Liberal Demo and Tory supports of over around 100, then you'll look at the Human Fertilization and Embryology Bill passing easily. A hundred and fifty votes or so. So why you may well ask, all the fuss? Well, one Labour Cabinet member told me today, it’s all about control, adding---it’s a very necessary part-off control.

Why? Because creating guidelines for these controversial human-animal embryos,this meant to be flagship legislation in this parliament. But the goverment is worried, finding that control of both the debate...

1 embryo   

n.胚胎，萌芽的事物

参考例句：

• They are engaging in an embryo research.他们正在进行一项胚胎研究。
• The project was barely in embryo.该计划只是个雏形。

2 hybrid   

n.(动，植）杂种，混合物

参考例句：

• That is a hybrid perpetual rose.那是一株杂交的四季开花的蔷薇。
• The hybrid was tall,handsome,and intelligent.那混血儿高大、英俊、又聪明。

3 embryos   

n.晶胚；胚，胚胎( embryo的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Somatic cells of angiosperms enter a regenerative phase and behave like embryos. 被子植物体细胞进入一个生殖阶段，而且其行为象胚。 来自辞典例句
• Evolution can explain why human embryos look like gilled fishes. 进化论能够解释为什么人类的胚胎看起来象除去了内脏的鱼一样。 来自辞典例句

4 rift   

n.裂口，隙缝，切口；v.裂开，割开，渗入

参考例句：

• He was anxious to mend the rift between the two men.他急于弥合这两个人之间的裂痕。
• The sun appeared through a rift in the clouds.太阳从云层间隙中冒出来。

5 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

6 consultation   

n.咨询；商量；商议；会议

参考例句：

• The company has promised wide consultation on its expansion plans.该公司允诺就其扩展计划广泛征求意见。
• The scheme was developed in close consultation with the local community.该计划是在同当地社区密切磋商中逐渐形成的。

7 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

8 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

9 scrutinized   

v.仔细检查，详审( scrutinize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The jeweler scrutinized the diamond for flaws. 宝石商人仔细察看钻石有无瑕庇 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Together we scrutinized the twelve lemon cakes from the delicatessen shop. 我们一起把甜食店里买来的十二块柠檬蛋糕细细打量了一番。 来自英汉文学 - 盖茨比

10 ethical   

adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept.必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。
• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。

11 microscopic   

adj.微小的，细微的，极小的，显微的

参考例句：

• It's impossible to read his microscopic handwriting.不可能看清他那极小的书写字迹。
• A plant's lungs are the microscopic pores in its leaves.植物的肺就是其叶片上微细的气孔。

12 assail   

v.猛烈攻击，抨击，痛斥

参考例句：

• The opposition's newspapers assail the government each day.反对党的报纸每天都对政府进行猛烈抨击。
• We should assist parents not assail them.因此我们应该帮助父母们，而不是指责他们。