Politics
Thursday November 29, 2007
Japanese Breakthrough Prompts Germany to Increase Adult Stem Cell Funding
TODAY'S HEADLINES
E-MAIL
PRINT
By Hilary White
BERLIN, November 29, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The German health ministry announced that it will increase its funding for ethical adult stem cell research, building on its previous dedication to the protection of embryonic human life. The ministry announced November 24 that it will double the current allocation of five million euros (US $7.4 million) to just under 10 million euros, Annette Schavan told the weekly Focus magazine in an interview.
"From now on we are going to double the annual funding total for adult cell recoding techniques, in order to push forward advances in this area," Schavan said.
"Over the next few years Germany must be a motor in adult stem cell research so that we can expand on the results already obtained," she added.
The announcement follows the breakthrough reported by a pair of research teams in Japan and the US that showed it is possible to create embryo-like stem cells by genetically "reprogramming" ordinary adult skin cells. Many researchers, including the UK's eminent cloning scientist Dr. Ian Wilmut, have said that the breakthrough will obviate the need for further cloning and embryo experimentation.
Germany tightly regulates embryo research allowing only those cell lines derived from embryos that were imported into the country prior to Jan. 1, 2002. The law is slated for parliamentary review in spring 2008. Schavan said she favoured a one-time shift of the cut-off beyond Jan. 1, 2002.
"What's important is that there is now greater hope of being able one day to do without tests on embryonic stem cells," she said
Schavan added that the recent breakthrough would not have been possible without "the knowledge gained from research on embryonic stem cells."
Germany has been one of the strongest voices in the European Union opposed to increased EU funding for embryo research. Citing the country's historic experience with the consequences of unbridled utilitarianism, in 2005 Germany joined Malta, Italy, Poland and Slovakia in standing up to the EU against a proposal to fund research that utilizes human embryos in favour of research that uses adult stem cells exclusively.
In 2006, a letter from German Research Minister Annette Schavan said, "The European Union science programme should not be used to give financial incentives to kill embryos."
The country's representatives at the EU spearheaded a move to create a coalition of countries against the funding including Poland, Austria, Slovakia, Luxembourg, Malta, Slovenia, Lithuania and Ireland.
Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Malta, Italy, Germany, Poland and Slovakia Object to EU Funding of Embryonic Stem Cell Research
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/nov/05112904.html
Germany Hopes to Block Deadly Human Embryo Experimentation in the EU
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/jul/06072101.html
Back to TopLatest Headlines
- Cardinal Rigali: You Can't Claim to be "Reducing Abortions" but Publicly Funding them in D.C.
- General Electric to Use Embryonic Stem Cells for Testing, Phase out Lab Rats
- Ohio Supreme Court Allows Planned Parenthood to Conceal Abortion Records in Sexual Abuse Case
- LifeSiteNews Canada Day and Independence Day Message. Taking a few days off. LSN returns Monday July 6
- Heroically Pro-Life Brazilian Archbishop's Resignation Accepted Under Cloud of Vatican Newspaper Misrepresentation
- Pro-Life Groups Announce New Colorado Personhood Initiative
- Judge Puts Kibosh on DC Gay "Marriage" Referendum
- Al Franken Win Hands Supermajority to Senate Democrats
- Group Funded by Canadian Bishops' D&P Joins with Others to Denounce the "Natural Family" and "Family Rights"
- Financially Troubled Planned Parenthood of El Paso Closes Doors
- Abortion Linked to Subsequent Pre-Term Births, New Research Again Confirms
- New Orleans Homosexual Couple Ask Fed. Court to Overturn Marriage Amendment
- Slim Hope Of New Ontario Progressive Conservative Party Leader Promoting Pro-Life, Pro-Family Issues
- Pope Accepts Resignation of Bishop Caught Involved in Homosexual Encounters
- Young Children Removed from UK Schools for "Inappropriate Sexual Behaviour"
- Northern Ireland Politician Cleared of Wrongdoing after Reiterating Christian Teaching on Homosexual Acts
- UK Conservative Leader Speaks at Gay Pride Fundraiser
- More Letters to the Editor on Canadian Catholic Development and Peace Scandal (July 1)
- Letters to the Editor - Readers Respond to Development and Peace Scandal
- Watch This Dramatic New Video on Catholic Bishops Conference Funding of Pro-Abortion Groups
Most Read this Week
- Homosexual Duke U. Director Charged with Offering Adopted 5-Year-Old for Sex
- Famed Fr. Corapi Calls Canadian Bishops' Dissent from Humanae Vitae "Catastrophic"
- Pope: It is a Childish Faith to Oppose the Church Teaching on Life and Family
- Heroically Pro-Life Brazilian Archbishop's Resignation Accepted Under Cloud of Vatican Newspaper Misrepresentation
- LifeSiteNews Detailed Response to Canadian Bishops' Whitewash Report on Development and Peace
- General Electric to Use Embryonic Stem Cells for Testing, Phase Out Lab Rats
- Young Children Removed from UK Schools for "Inappropriate Sexual Behaviour"
- Is Pro-Choice the New Pro-Life?
- Swedish Parents Won't Tell if Child is Boy or Girl as Gender Experiment
- Cardinal Rigali: You Can't Claim to be "Reducing Abortions" but Publicly Funding them in D.C.
MORE NEWS: 
LifeSiteNews.com Home Page Last 10 Days Archives Special Reports
Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.