8 March 2002

Hon Kevin Andrews Parliament House CANBERRA ACT 2600

Dear Kevin,

For your information, here is a copy of a letter we are sending to government MPs:

STEM CELL RESEARCH

We understand that commercial scientific interests are currently applying great pressure on the federal government to allow them to experiment on, then kill, human embryos. They are claiming great therapeutic benefits such as cures for diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.

These claims are misleading. It is adult, not embryo, stem cell research which has a proven track record in this area. E S (embryo stem) cells are likely to have rejection problems and cause tumorous growths when injected into patients. MAPCs (commonly known as adult stem cells) do not have these problems, and involve no ethical objections.

In a very real sense we now stand at the brink of Huxley’s “Brave New World”. Artificial wombs are already on the way. The only thing which could prevent widespread manipulation of artificially created and gestated human beings is laws which absolutely prohibit any form of destructive experiments on human embryos, including those obtained by somatic cell nuclear transfer (the “Dolly the sheep” technique).

You are in a unique position at this point in human history. You, as a member of the federal government, could help make the difference between a nation which goes down the “Brave New World” road – or one which takes a stand for the dignity of humanity.

At this watershed, we are praying that you will have the wisdom and courage to help Cabinet make the right decision.

Sincerely,

ROS and DAVID

(Dr) David Phillips, Chairman, and

Mrs Roslyn Phillips, B Sc Dip Ed Research Officer, Festival of Light (SA) 4th Floor, 68 Grenfell Street, Adelaide South Australia 5000 Phone 61 8 8223 6383 Home phone 61 8 8264 5398 Fax 61 8 8223 5850 Email