http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7407589.stm

Mmm.
People at church were hoping it would be banned.

Not sure what I think about this myself really.

If there's at least a chance it could save lives. then it would get my backing.

I understand though why some people would be against it, but it's not like they're trying to create some sort of ManBearPig.

They're not?

Well I'm against it. :sulk:

Oh noes!!!!11111!!!1!ONE!!1111


Seriously though, this embryology program right now is about developing much needed medical techniques to save lives. If it can do that it has my support

In my experience, its the various religious groups (generally) who seem to be most against this stuff, though, to be fair, there is often a lot of emotive arguments from both sides.

Personally think if it can assist (or be a step a long the way to assisting) the re-growth of organs/pro-longing of life/curing of ailments, then it should definitely be a path we should pursue, without the stigma and fear of "ze mad scientist" making some kind of half man, half monkey type creature.

I think they should go for a spider-pig. ;)

Meanwhile... As usual, the luddites and witch-burners come out of the woodwork. The typical bonehead shite comes out. e.g. ....

"It is against nature". OK - so are anti-biotics, caesarean births and heart by-passes. I know - if we get an illness, lets just lie down and die.

"Playing God". OK - if God screwed it up, is it not right to correct it. If he meant it to be this way, he has a lot of explaining to do.

"Frankenstein". In the story, Frankenstein wants to give life to dead matter and to discover the secret of life to help mankind. Sounds OK to me - OK - needs to do something on the experimental control side of things, but in principle he was on the right lines.

(Saw a headline that Ruth Kelly (Opus Dei member) voted against it. Well, no surprise there.)

Would tend to agree on the whole.

But

is there or is there not a lmit to how far we should go?

Sure - stop at the spider pig. Spider-man is too far - I thought he looked like a pathetic limpwristed failure in the film.

OK. OK. The idea of developing the hybrids to birth would be too far, but what the scientists are looking at producing is embryos which are not viable in their own right - they are not looking to produce new creatures. The 'thin end of the wedge' suggestion by some is also garbage. If mankind had always worked on that basis, we would have banned fire, smelting of metals - pretty well everything. And as for that Widicombe woman (?) saying it was crap because we had not produced an end result yet - we might as well give up all research and go back to living in caves, assuming caves are not too advanced for her or against the will of God.

She should indeed be banished to a cave.

I'm against the smelting of metals. :sulk:

They'll be making an iron horse next. ;)