Fatherhood and politics: British politicians show solidarity over Ivan Cameron’s death
When it comes to family matters and bereavement, it is only right that politics be put aside to show solidarity. That is why UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown suspended prime minister’s question (PMQs) at Westminster Wednesday, Feb 25, to show respect to Ivan Cameron, deceased son of Brown’s archrival conservative Tory leader David Cameron. And there is no doubt that the Prime Minister is sincere about his sympathy for the Cameron family. You see, differences in political beliefs aside, Brown and Cameron have a lot in common. They are both fathers, much more, they have both lost children and both have sons who have serious debilitating diseases. Cameron’s son Ivan suffered from epilepsy and cerebral palsy at birth. He died last Wednesday at the age of 6, The Guardian reports.
Brown lost a prematurely born daughter in 2002. He has two sons, and one of them, Fraser was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis in 2006.
It was speculated that it was this common bond between the two men that paved the way to the approval of UK’s human fertilization and embryology bill last year, a bill that promotes medical research using animal-human hybrid embryos. I guess that for many parents like these two political leaders who have children with incurable disorders, the only hope lies in ground-breaking and sometimes controversial research.
PMQ is a constitutional ritual in the UK. For 30 minuets every Wednesday, the Prime Minister answers questions of the members of the parliament (MPs). It has only been canceled a few times in history due to very important events.
The Cameron family requested that instead of sending flowers, well-wishers should make a donation to one of the following five charities: Mencap, Friends of St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, Friends of Jack Tizard School, Helen & Douglas House, Twickenham, and Shooting Star children’s hospice.
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