The vote on stem cells. (News in Brief: Canada).

Ottawa--At the end of January 2003, the House of Commons opened the debate on cloning and research on embryonic stem cells.

During the previous six months the pro-life action group Campaign Life Coalition (CLC), put tremendous energy in providing members of parliament, the general public, and faith communities with a proper understanding of Bill C-13 (an Act Respecting Assisted Human Reproduction). After in-depth research by medically qualified authors such as Dr. John Shea of Toronto, and Professor Dianne Irving of Washington, D.C., CLC concluded that Bill C-13 could not be approved. Some forms of cloning would slip through the bill's fault lines, as would embryonic stem cell research which involves a clear-cut attack on human dignity through the killing of human beings.

Moreover, the bill would allow in vitro fertilization; the screening of live human embryos; and the killing of those found to be disabled. It would allow aborted baby parts to be used for research; live human embryos cryogenically frozen for years to be used; all of which are condemned by the Vatican.

On January 29, the Canadian bishops issued a statement pointing out the same two points: the unacceptability of embryonic research and doubts whether the bill really does foreclose all forms of cloning. In Halifax, N.S., Archbishop Terrence Prendergast issued a statement to be inserted in parish bulletins for Sunday January 26, calling for public protests against the bill as introduced by the minister of Health Anne McLellan.

In Vancouver, B.C., Archbishop Adam Exner's statement of January 29, categorically rejected the idea of some members of parliament that one could invoke section 73 of Pope John Paul's 1995 encyclical Evangelium vitae (Gospel of Life) for voting in favour of Bill C13. The archbishop reminded them that a legislator may never vote for legislation that is intrinsically immoral. Earlier, in Hamilton, ON, Bishop Tonnos had distributed to all his parishes a homily on embryonic stem cells provided by CLC.

On January 28 & 29, MPs like Paul Szabo (Lib.), Jason Kenny (CA), Rob Merrifield (CA), and Maurice Vellacott (CA), submitted pro-life amendments, while others like Elsie Wayne (PC), Gurmant Grewal (CA), Deepak Obhrai (CA), and Myron Thompson (CA) spoke against the bill. The three spokespersons for the parliamentary pro-life caucus, Maurice Vellacott (Alliance), Paul Steckle (Liberal), and Elsie Wayne (PC), had issued a press release and letters to the editor expressing their opposition to the bill.

On January 29, the government divided the amendments into groups, placing most of the pro-life ones in section II, presumably in order to defeat them the more easily. The Bloc Quebecois announced its support for Bill C-13 on the same day.