Dear Colleague,

Below is the letter we've sent to the daily newspapers and Irish Medical Times.  

In the recent case involving three frozen embryos Mr. Justice Brian McGovern
raised the fundamental question -- when does human life begin?
Observing that it was not the function of the Court to adjudicate between
competing moral or religious beliefs, His Lordship stated that because of
the lack of agreement among the medical and scientific community as to when
life began in-vitro embryos were deserving of special respect only but not
the rights accorded the human person. He went on to say that in-vitro
embryos had a 'precarious existence'.

In fact there is no doubt among the scientific community, including
embryologists and other medical experts, worldwide. They maintain that human
life begins at fertilization.
Hence, every human embryo, however conceived, has to be considered a human
person from fertilization and accorded the rights and dignity of personhood.
There is a need for 'unborn' to be clearly defined in law, in order to confirm that
Art.40.3.3. of the Constitution protects  the preimplanted embryo.  Indeed
is this protection not implicit in the Irish version, which takes precedence
in relation to interpretation -- ' Admhaionn an Stat ceart na mbeo gan
breith chun a mbeatha' ( the right to life of the  ' not born but living ')
In view of stem cell research such clarification is necessary, and urgent.

To re-iterate -- firstly,  human life begins at fertilization and secondly,
there is a need in legislation to protect preimplanted   embryos, however
conceived.  Hopefully, the Oireachtas will not fail its responsibility.


Eamon O'Dwyer ,Professor Emeritus, Chairman
Dr.Ann Barry, Honorary Secretary,
Irish Catholic Doctors' Association