Parliamentary majority in sight for cultivating embryos for research
A parliamentary majority is within reach for a D66 and VVD proposal to allow scientists to cultivate human embryos for research purposes. The Tweede Kamer, the lower house of the Dutch parliament, discussed the bill on Wednesday, and it appears that it can likely count on the support of 75 parliamentarians - one seat short of a majority, NOS reports.
When the bill was last discussed in September, there was still considerable resistance in the Tweede Kamer. But the composition of the Kamer changed since the parliamentary election, and one of the biggest opponents - the NSC with 20 seats - disappeared from parliament altogether. The CDA is now also open for expanding the possibilities for embryo research, if under strict conditions. If the Christian Democrats can be convinced, the bill will have a majority.
Under current Dutch law, scientists can only use embryos left over from IVF treatments for research. But these embryos are typically too old for specific research. Scientists want to know more about the first hours and days after fertilization, expecting that this knowledge could help couples who are currently unable to conceive.
The conservative Christian and far-right parties are vehemently against the bill. Christian parties SGP and ChristenUnie believe that embryos are human beings from the moment of conception and should be protected. Far-right PVV and FvD think the bill is a slippery slope toward “designer babies.” But the initiators believe their proposal has enough safeguards to prevent this.
In addition to the D66 and VVD, GroenLinks-PvdA and SP announced their support for the bill on Wednesday. If the other left-wing parties like PvdD and Volt also support the proposal, it stands at 75 seats.
The CDA could be the swing vote. For the first time, the Christian Democrats opened the door to supporting this bill. Unlike the other Christian parties, CDA MP Harmen Krul believes it's permissible to strike a balance between protecting embryos and preventing serious suffering. “I include childlessness in that,” he said on Wednesday. He also doesn’t believe the amendment will open a door that can never be closed again. But he couldn’t yet give a unanimous answer to how the CDA would vote.
Krul submitted an amendment to the law to impose harsher penalties on scientists who abuse the expanded possibilities to go beyond what is ethically responsible. The CDA also wants to only permit embryo cultivation as long as there are truly no alternatives. As soon as alternatives become available, embryo cultivation must stop.
Several other parties also submitted amendments. Parliament will vote on these amendments on Tuesday, and then vote on the bill a week later.
In the final vote, individual parliamentarians may also make their own assessment. It is unusual for parliamentarians not to vote with their party on these kinds of medical ethics issues, but it can happen.
