Liam Twomey (Fine Gael)

Last week I raised the issue of the legal protection of embryos in this country. We are in an unbelievable position in this country with regard to embryonic stem cell research in that there is no legal protection for embryos. This is a medical issue which relates to in vitro fertilisation, IVF. There is no legal protection for mothers who wish to go through IVF to conceive. That is a ridiculous position for this country to be in, especially given that the commission on assisted human reproduction reported on the issue four years ago. We still have no legislation to protect mothers who wish to use IVF to conceive.

I would also like the issue of pre-implantation genetic testing to be examined in the context of any proposed legislation. I do not support such testing so that mothers can decide to have a blue eyed or blonde haired child. Rather, I support it because there are a number of serious genetic conditions which can only be detected through such testing. There is no protection——