Earlier in the debate I heard a speaker use the words "referendum", "pro-life", "abortion", "viable" and "embryo" all in one paragraph. I sensed we were moving back to the future and I could feel a cold sweat breaking out on my palms. Things were being re-opened which I thought had been processed, dealt with and assimilated in a particular way. We do not need to address these matters again. In this debate there is an element of failure to recognise that it is a reality of medical science that this research will go ahead. It would be wrong on a variety of levels for us to oppose research which is not damaging anybody and has the potential to make huge improvements to the quality of life of suffering people or to ameliorate their conditions.