h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

UK centric.

UK residents - do this today, please. During business hours, before your MP's secretary clocks off.

http://www.faxyourmp.com

Dear [Your MP’s Name],

You will be aware that the Commons vote on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill today. MPs are being given a free vote on three clauses that have been cited as issues of conscience. I hope and expect that you will take the appropriate moral position on these:

• Trans-species embryo creation for the purposes of scientific and medical research is an essential tool for the advancement of knowledge and the alleviation of suffering. No measures should be put in place to prevent properly scrutinised work of this type.

• Sibling selection for the treatment of genetic disorder can alleviate various distressing and life-threatening conditions. Obviously this must take place within a framework of scrutiny that fully considers the rights and wellbeing of the selected child, but no measures should be put in place that would preclude it.

• There is no moral case for refusing access to assisted conception or other fertility treatments for single mothers or female-female couples. For non-assisted conception there is no state scrutiny of the presence of a potential father in the life of the child. It would be an unwarranted breach of human rights and human dignity to impose one.

It is unfortunate that these issues have been portrayed by sectional interests as matters or religious conscience. I am not a Christian myself. and [Delete if unapplicable] I am unaware of and unconcerned with your own beliefs, but I hope that any Christians would consider the opinions of leading intellectual figures such as Bishop Harries and Bishop Holloway.

I trust that you will take a suitable moral position on these important matters. Thank you for your support.

Regards,

[Your Name].
[Your constituency] resident.

What if your MP is on the select committee?

Send it anyway. They should know what we think.

In fact...send it *especially*!

Alright, done. He's a former engineer, and voted strongly for egual gay rights. Against an investigation into the Iraq war though.

So sound on this.

However - what I've tried to do in my wording is to recapture the moral high ground falsely claimed by certain cardinals. I think that's an argument that should be made. No pussyfooting around their wonky moral compasses. The way political debate works is to put little ideas in peoples' heads. Maybe select comittee members might come out with this sort of argument. Who knows.

Hi Eddie

I have already beaten a path to Lembit's door and told him in no uncertain terms that if he or the Limperal Party oppose any part of the Bill just because of some misinformed whining christians, I will personally make his next re-election campaign a complete misery.

He thought it strange that 'his local pagan' should be so in favour of the Bill, but I pointed out that 'we pagans' are not the blinkered dogmatic assh*les the monotheists tend to be.

And my imaginary friends agree

Blessings,
Matholwch, the rational theist .

Long time no etc.

I have strong views on the reduction of the abortion limit also. Cerainly the survival of health, wanted babies born prematurely has nothing whatsoever to do with it. However...I'm content to let that one remain a free vote and will lobby my MP when I bump into him.