The possible use in the future of artificial intelligence to select and destroy “unsuitable” human embryos was criticised as “AI-led eugenics” by the crossbench peer Lord Alton of Liverpool.
Speaking at a pro-life conference in Dublin, he called for more ethical intelligence.
He told the annual Ceiliúradh Cois Life dinner that it was not the case that without experiments on human embryos, no progress could be made in the treatment of serious illness.
“Since experiments were legalised in 1990 an estimated 3.5 million human embryos have been destroyed or discarded,” he said.
The Catholic peer, a former Liberal and Liberal Democrat MP who serves on Westminster’s Joint Committee on Human Rights, also warned that abortion changes the nature of medicine, compromises medics and penalises those who refuse to collaborate.
“This subversion of good ethics and good science also subverts the academy and our intellectual life,” he said.
Alton said that Ireland has seen nearly 30,000 abortions since the law was changed after the 2018 referendum and he criticised “calls for even more extreme provisions” amounting to “full decriminalisation throughout the nine months of pregnancy”.
Citing Holland, Belgium and Canada as examples, he said euthanasia was “the next runaway train” and argued it would not be possible to allow euthanasia for a few without putting many more people at risk. He called for legislators, policy makers and governments to work for world class palliative care and resources for healthcare that value assisted living.
Alton argued that the right to life had become “the supreme human rights issue” of the age.
Separately, a survey of 3,000 parents in the Northern Ireland by the group Melted Parents NI found that parents have had abortions due to not being able to afford additional childcare bills.
The costs of childcare were cited by 82 per cent of parents surveyed who said they had impacted their decision not to have more children.
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