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MPs urged by church to oppose embryo bill

Scotland's 59 MPs are being urged to put God before Gordon when they vote on a controversial bill allowing research on human-animal embryos.

The Catholic Church in Scotland has written to all MPs north of the border to express its opposition to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill and asking them to press for a free vote.

It follows a letter, briefing pack and DVD sent to all 500 Catholic parishes in Scotland, which aims to raise concerns about the bill. The country's one million Catholics are urged to press their MP to oppose the bill when it returns to the Commons next month.

In the letter to local parishes, Archbishop Mario Conti describes the fusion of animal and human material resulting in hybrid embryos as a "monstrous act against human dignity".

The letter to MPs is less emotive but points out that the church believes research into life-threatening and debilitating diseases can be conducted without using embryos.

Full story at Scotland on Sunday.