Grumpy Old Deafies

For anyone who has been following the Stop Eugenics campaign will know there's been a campaign against Clause 14(4)(9) of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill.

A petition has now been approved on the Downing Street website, relating to clause 14(4)(9). Please go and sign it (open to UK residents only).

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Keep reproductive liberty: drop clause 14/4/9 of the HFE Bill.

The details are:

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill (HFEB) is due to pass through the House of Commons soon.

The media has said that Clause 14(4)(9) of the Bill would allow people to create "designer deaf or disabled babies", but it would not. It would let people create designer HEARING babies.

This is because if a couple who are going through IVF have a test to see whether their embryos are deaf or hearing, if there is a mixture of deaf and hearing embryos, Clause 14(4)(9) would FORCE them to reject the deaf embryos.

This is clearly a form of EUGENICS. Forcing parents to reject some embryos over others has no place in a democratic society.

Clause 14(4)(9) creates a situation whereby, in law, the life of a Deaf person becomes of lesser worth than that of a hearing person, despite the Government's aim for a more equal society, through the new Commission for Equality and Human Rights.

We the undersigned therefore call on the Houses of Parliament to fully drop Clause 14(4)(9) of the HFEB.

Source:
Number 10 Petition: Keep Reproductive Liberty Drop Clause 14(4)(9)

See elsewhere:
Stop Eugenics