Christian Legal Centre (CLC) and Comment on Reproductive Ethics (CORE) seek Judicial Review over ‘Illegal’ Licences for Animal Human Hybrids

Issued by Christian Legal Centre (CLC) and Comment on Reproductive Ethics (CORE)

Press Notice

For Immediate Release

25 November 2008

CHRISTIAN LEGAL CENTRE (CLC) AND COMMENT ON REPRODUCTIVE ETHICS (CORE) SEEK JUDICIAL REVIEW OVER ‘ILLEGAL’ LICENCES FOR ANIMAL HUMAN HYBRIDS

The Christian Legal Centre (CLC) and Comment on Reproductive Ethics (CORE) are going to the High Court (26 November) to seek permission for a Judicial Review over whether the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) illegally granted two licences for research work on Animal Human Hybrids.

They believe the HFEA acted outside its’ powers as the licences were granted on the 9 January 2008 BEFORE Parliament had debated and voted on the principles of the issue in both the Lords and the Commons. Since that time the law has been changed by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 but is not yet in force

Andrea Minichiello Williams, founder of CLC said: “We believe that under the legislation in force at the date on which the Authority granted licences to the Institute of Human Genetics, University of Newcastle and King’s College London for new experimental work on Animal Human Hybrids, the decision to grant such approval was illegal.

“The HFEA was fully aware that Parliament was about to debate the principles and practice of this highly controversial issue, and indeed that the legislation in force at the time could have been narrowed or widened, and yet they decided to go ahead.  There are many technical and nuanced reasons why we believe the HFEA’s decision was outside the power handed down to it by Parliament, but the case tomorrow asks two basic questions: to whom are these Regulators/Independent Public Bodies accountable and, who makes the law of the land, Parliament or such independent public bodies?”

In a move which will gather support from other non-profit organisations and charities concerned at the level of unaccountability of public bodies such as the HFEA, whereby there is no internal means of challenging such decisions and real difficulty in holding them legally accountable through the courts, CLC and CORE will also seek a Protective Costs order to limit the legal bills in this case.

Andrea Minichiello Williams added: “The usual tactic of big public bodies which are independent of Government and seemingly unaccountable is that whenever faced with a legal challenge they employ top QCs and firms of solicitors to act for them and by doing so, run up huge legal costs which frighten off most voluntary and charitable groups. In this country if you lose a case you have to pay the other side’s costs which in a case such as this quickly mount to hundreds of thousands of pounds. How can access to justice be secured in such a situation? The courts are there to enable citizens and public interest and charitable organisations in this country to seek and gain justice and that justice must not be limited only to those with large pockets.”

The case will be held in Court 7 before Mrs Justice Dobbs at the Royal Courts of Justice in The Strand, London, starting at 10.30am.

ENDS.

For further information: Andrea Minichiello Williams 077 12 591164; Josephine Quintavalle 07968 167 323 Michael Phillips (Solicitor for CLC and CORE) 077390 94499