Aggregated News
The pending legislation, known as the Human Reproduction Bill,
or C-13, is based on an extensive process of feminist advocacy,
public consultation, and democratic deliberation going back
more than fifteen years. Its key provisions-including bans on
human reproductive and research cloning, inheritable genetic
modification, commercial surrogacy, and "non-medical"
sex selection-enjoy broad public approval, the official backing
of major Canadian scientific organizations, and strong support
among lawmakers.
But C-13 may nonetheless fail to come to a vote. Its future
is uncertain because the right-wing Canadian Alliance and some
MPs from the ruling Liberal Party object to the part of the
bill that allows regulated research on embryos that were created
in the course of fertility procedures. Canadian Prime Minister
Jean Chrétien and Health Minister Anne McLellan, themselves
Liberals, support C-13. But the Government has been reluctant
to bring it to a vote unless its passage...