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EU Approves Full Public Funding of Embryo Research

By Hilary White

BRUSSELS, June 15, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The European Union, in a surprise move today, has approved full funding for embryonic stem cell research until 2013. Despite a contentious debate and years of wrangling with dissenting countries, the vote, held in Brussels yesterday, was a majority in favour.

The European supporters of embryo research employed the well-proven strategy of including the contentious research in an omnibus proposal for funding, a move that effectively bypassed debate over the nature of the embryo. MEP’s could not vote against embryo research without rejecting all other funding for scientific research.

“Though the research is controversial, we can be confident that Europe has the most sophisticated system on ethics and research established in any public institution,” British Labour MEP Gary Titley said during the debate.

About 51 billion euros have been allotted for the full research budget from 2007-13, only a small portion of which will be used for embryonic research.

A coalition of countries have opposed funding for embryo research, including Italy, Malta, Slovakia, Poland and Austria, Lithuania and Ireland. Several previous attempts to attain general consent among European Union countries had failed.

Earlier this week, Ireland’s Catholic bishops urged Irish MEP’s to vote against the proposition. The Irish Bishops Conference expressed disappointment at their government’s inaction, saying in a statement issued yesterday, “The crucial issue is that using a human embryo as an object of research is nothing short of destruction of a human life.”

“A question of such profound moral and human significance,” they said, “should not be treated under the heading of research funding.”

Earlier this month the Italian government, which had previously opposed the European funding push, removed their signature from a joint 'declaration of ethics’ that called on the EU to fund only those projects that enjoy an ethical consensus across the European community.

The Irish bishops said that the debate has ignored the moral difference between embryonic and adult stem cells. “Adult stem cell research is very promising and has already led to positive clinical results. This type of stem cell research comes with none of the ethical difficulties associated with research on human embryos.”

Read previous LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

EU Again Set to Fund Embryo Research
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/jun/06060710.html

 

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