An interesting postscript to last week's Embryology row is the realisation that it arose because one Member of Parliament said that going to consultation was tantamount to "the veto of a public referendum"
Now most MPs are pretty familiar with consultations, and they know full well that it is not (except on rare occasions) the same as a plebiscite. Mis-representing the position does Dr Evan Harris MP no favours, and does his case little credit. What he seems to be saying is that it is ok for informed stakeholders such as the scientific or medical communities to take part in the debate, but that it is dangerous to widen it to include the general public.
I think the Human Fertilisation & Embryology Agency is acting very responsibly in the way it has set about a difficult issue. Maybe we should turn our attention to Parliament and make more strenuous efforts to guide MPs and assist them to avoid embarrassing faux-pas like this.
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