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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 4 Hansard (10 April) . . Page.. 923 ..

MRS CROSS (continuing):

Humanity once lived without antibiotics, heart transplants, or the ability to do even the most basic surgery where the patient had any hope of survival, let alone cure. Let us not forget that the world's best medical experts once bled their patients in order to bring about healing.

Science moves on. As legislators, we must embrace that fact and move on with it. Despite the progress that has been made over the centuries by medical science, as human beings, we are still very ignorant about our biology. Hopefully, future generations will look back at this time in human history and wonder aloud at our reluctance to take this important step, a step that will perhaps make the replacement of failing body parts as routine as going to the dentist is to us now.

Let us take a brief look at religious opposition. I read a comment this week on embryonic stem cell research which offered the opinion that subtle shadings of theology development in the 19th century should not censor, filter or slow down what happens in medical research.

I believe this opinion to be most reasonable. Religious leaders are divided on the merits of stem cell research, and disagree with each other. There is also disagreement and confusion among church groups, and between the views of congregation members, as to the official view. As an example, I wish to draw members' attention to a survey of Catholics that was published in the Canberra Times on 30 March-less than two weeks ago.

The company, International Social Science Survey, has progressively surveyed Australian opinions on stem cell research since 1993. Their most recent nation-wide survey, taken at the end of last year, considered the fairly straightforward question: Would you approve or disapprove of cells from a fetus being used for medical research, testing new ways to treat cancer, Parkinson's or other serious diseases?

Mr Speaker, only 20 per cent of Catholics disapproved. That is just slightly more than the disapproval figure for all Australians, which came in at 13 per cent. Even devout, regular churchgoing Catholics were divided in their response, with only 33 per cent showing disapproval for using foetal tissue.

Suppose religious fury is a myth and does not exist. Objections based on this premise are simply dead in the water. For too long, politicians have been spooked by wild claims of widespread opposition to this research. They have been quelled into silence, afraid of wading into the tangle of complex issues that accompany new technologies.

The events of the past few weeks, I believe, show the majority of Australians to be well informed, reasonable and ready to embrace this new research and its potential to benefit society. The decision by the Prime Minister last week to provide a way forward for embryonic stem cell research in Australia took great courage. It was a step in the right direction, but only the first step. This is phase one of a series of measures necessary to assist medical science to devise cures for devastating diseases. This is for the benefit of all mankind-for the greater good of future generations.

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