Human tissue can be taken for human-animal embryo experiments without consent

September 14, 2009 by Infowars Ireland

Tens of thousands of samples of human tissue will be offered for use in controversial human/animal hybrid embryo research without the consent of the patients who donated them.

New rules coming into force next month will give scientists working on stem cell research access to samples of blood and tissue collected by NHS hospitals during biopsies and treatments, as well as to giant “tissue banks” which built up stores of material before the legislation was introduced.

Ethics experts, patients’ groups and churches described the change as “absolutely frightening” and liable to destroy trust among thousands who donate, whatever their views on the use of hybrid embryos for stem cell research.

While scientists will have to try to gain explicit consent before using cells from such stores, if the samples were collected before 1st October and the donor cannot be tracked down, the experiments will be allowed to go ahead regardless.

In an article for The Lancet, leading ethical experts yesterday warned of a risk of a public outcry similar to those over scandals at Alder Hey and Bristol Royal Infimary hospitals, when children’s body parts were kept without parental consent.

Joyce Robins, co-director of pressure group Patient Concern warned that most people had “not an inkling” that fundamental changes were about to be introduced.

She said: “This is absolutely frightening. People who have donated for medical research may well not agree with human/animal hybrids, which are one of the most controversial ideas out there.

“Scientists know how hard it would be to get consent for these kinds of experiments – this is an attempt to get around the obstacles”.

Author Professor David Jones, director of the Centre for Bioethics and Emerging Technologies at St Mary’s University College, London, said: “People may well have ticked a box about medical research in hospital at some point in the past while they were undergoing tests and not even recall it now.

“That tissue could be used to clone an embryo, and you would not even be told it was happening.”

The rules governing the use of donated human tissue are set out in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act which became law last year.

Although certain aspects of the legislation, such as changes which made it easier for lesbians to have IVF treatment, provoked fierce debate as it made its way through Parliament, the amendment on body tissues was passed almost unnoticed. Read full article…