LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
Germany moves to ban embryonic stem cell research 5/20/06
Germany seeks EU ban on stem-cell research funding
By Carsten Lietz
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060720/...E0BHNlYwN0bWE-
Germany pressed its EU partners to ban European funding for embryonic stem-cell research, a day after President George W. Bush vetoed a bill that would have expanded such work in the United States.
"The European Union science programme should not be used to give financial incentives to kill embryos," German Research Minister Annette Schavan wrote in a letter seen by Reuters on Thursday before a meeting on EU science funding on Monday.
"The current proposal from the European Commission and the European Parliament does not rule this out."
Most EU governments, backed by the bloc's executive and lawmakers, want to maintain the possibility of public funding for potentially life-saving research projects.
Supporters of embryonic stem-cell research say it uses only excess cells discarded by fertility clinics and that the work can help find cures for chronic diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
Critics, including the main Christian churches, say it is unethical because it involves destroying human life.
European countries have widely differing national laws, with Britain actively encouraging stem-cell research. Germany, with an aversion to genetic experimentation rooted partly in the legacy of Nazi abuses, effectively bans it.
Stem-cell research would receive only a small fraction of the EU science budget of some 51 billion euros ($64.3 billion) in 2007-13 but Germany is hoping to rally a coalition of mainly Roman Catholic countries to block it.
A draft ministerial decision proposed by Finland, which holds the 25-nation bloc's rotating presidency, would rule out EU funding for research on human reproductive cloning, genetic modification of human beings and artificial creation of human embryos solely for research purposes.
But it would allow funding for research on human stem cells.
As well as Germany, other countries that have put down a reservation on the issue are Poland, Austria, Slovakia, Luxembourg, Malta and Slovenia.
Diplomats said Germany was hoping to persuade Italy, home of the Roman Catholic church, to join the objectors, creating a blocking minority that would force an amendment.
A narrow majority in the European Parliament voted last month in favor of allowing continued public funding for stem-cell research. If Germany can force an amendment in the council of EU governments, parliament would have to reconsider the issue on a second reading.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Grimmlok
Bookmarks