ÖPIK SPEAKS OUT FOR THE THOUSANDS AFFECTED BY MND

4.23.43pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 13th May 2008

Motor Neurone Disease is a rapidly progressive fatal disease with no known cure or effective treatment.

In the UK alone MND affects around 5,000 people and every day five people in the UK die from this cruel disease. It is a rapidly progressive condition in the majority of cases with around half of those diagnosed dying within 14 months.

During yesterday's parliamentary debate on the controversial Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, Lembit Öpik, Liberal Democrat MP for Montgomeryshire, intervened on behalf of people living with MND everywhere, for the need for legislation to allow stem cell research using human-animal hybrid embryos. Addressing the Secretary of State for Health, Alan Johnson, he asked:

"On the substantive point about medical research, does the Secretary of State recognise that many organisations, including the Motor Neurone Disease Association, have watched with great interest and hope as the Bill has been formed?

"Many people face a sentence of death because of incurable diseases such as motor neurone disease, and are depending on the opportunities provided by parts of the Bill to find cures for such dreadful and debilitative wasting diseases."

The Minister commended Mr Öpik's comments as "the most important point about why the research is necessary", and further praised him for the "constructive way in which he has dealt with the Bill."