House of Representatives Endorses Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (Therapeutic Cloning)  on an 82 to 62 Conscience Vote. (December 7, 2006)

    Following a series of emotional speeches in which both the Prime Minister, John Howard, and leader of the Labor Opposition, Kevin Rudd indicated that they would be voting against the bill introduced by former Liberal health minister, Kay Patterson the House of Representatives voted 82 to 62 for passage of the legislation.

Previously the Senate had approved the bill with a one vote majority.

Prominent MHRs who voted against the legislation included Prime Minister, John Howard Treasurer, Peter Costello, the Deputy Prime Minister, Mark Vaile, the Health Minister, Tony Abbott, as well as Labor opposition leader, Kevin Rudd, and Labor MPs Peter Garrett, Gavan O'Connor and Tony Burke.

Voting to pass the bill included cabinet ministers Brendan Nelson, Julie Bishop, Ian Macfarlane, Alexander Downer and Philip Ruddock and Labor frontbenchers Julia Gillard, Simon Crean, Jenny Macklin and Wayne Swan.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported, "The vote on the substantive second reading stage of the legislation reflected a rough pattern. More Coalition MPs (43) voted against than for (39); 43 Labor MPs voted for and 16 against. Women MPs were far more likely to favour the bill: 27 for and eight against, just two of them from Labor. All three independents opposed. All three doctors supported."

The journal Science reported, "'The morale of the Australian scientific community has been lifted dramatically' by the vote, says Australian Martin Pera, who now directs the stem cell center at the University of California, Los Angeles. Laws and regulations pertaining to nuclear transfer vary widely around the world. In Europe, only Belgium and the U.K. explicitly allow the procedure, while Germany and Italy, among others, explicitly ban it."

Below is a copy of Professor Ian Frazer's letter of November 6, 2006 written to Australia's federal parliamentarians.