Those who say that the bill does not promote filial responsibility, of course, are right.

Some institutions have breathed sighs of relief, others, including churches, right-to-life groups and the Australian Medical Association, bitterly attacked the bill and the haste of its passage.

Second, the bill expands the right of third parties to join the fray at the PTO by showing "prior art" -meaning the invention is already known about and so a patent should not be granted.