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 06 July 2008 15:39 BST

Catholic leader to attack prime minister in Easter sermon

Friday, 21 Mar 2008 17:18
Catholic leader has condemned stem-cell research bill

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The leader of the catholic church in Scotland is to attack Gordon Brown for embryo research plans in his Easter Sunday sermon.

According to the Daily Record, Cardinal Keith O'Brien will use the sermon to criticise the new Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill which will allow scientists to cross human and animal embryos in stem-cell experiments.

Scientists believe the research could lead to advances in the research of genetic diseases such as Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's and motor neurone disease.

But Cardinal O'Brien will claim: "One might say that in our country we are about to have a public Government endorsement of experiments of Frankenstein proportion - without many people really being aware of what is going on."

The cardinal will say: "It is difficult to imagine a single piece of legislation which more comprehensively attacks the sanctity and dignity of human life."

He will also attack Mr Brown for imposing a three-line whip on Labour MPs when they vote on the Bill, while other parties have allowed MPs to vote as they wish.

According to the Scottish newspaper, the cardinal will say: "This Bill represents a monstrous attack on human rights, human dignity and human life.

"In some other European countries, one could be jailed for doing what we intend to make legal."

Cardinal O'Brien will call on church-goers to lobby their MPs and ask them to vote against the Bill.

If the Bill is passed, scientists will inject DNA from human embryos into animal embryos to create hybrids which can be used in stem cell research, which they say is necessary because of a shortage of human embryos for experiments.End of story


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