By Gudrun Schultz
BRASILIA, Brazil, April 24, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Debate over the morality of destroying human embryos in research began last week in Brazil, as the Supreme Court opened hearings on the issue to the general public.
For the first time, the Court permitted public attendance during the testimony of 25 doctors, researchers and scientists—dozens of citizens crowded the court during debates on the contentious issue, Reuters reported.
Brazil opened the door to embryonic stem cell research in 2005 with the passage of the biosecurity law. The attorney general challenged the law before the Supreme Court that same year, arguing that research which destroys human embryos violates the country’s constitutional protection for the right to life of the unborn.
“We must always take into account that this is an embryo, it’s a human being,” said Dom Odilo Schere, a leader with Brazil’s National Council of Catholic Bishops, to the press during the hearings.
Predominantly Catholic, Brazil has faced an onslaught of liberal influences in recent years. The country’s newly-appointed Health Minister Jose Gomes Temporao triggered a public outcry earlier this month when he called for open debate on legalizing abortion. Brazilian law only permits abortion in cases of rape or risk of death for the mother. The Brazilian Catholic Church is preparing for a visit from Pope Benedict XVI next month, which may act as a rallying point to encourage Catholic support for laws protecting the unborn.
An opinion poll released early in April showed 65 percent of Brazilians would oppose any change to the abortion law.
Supreme Court Justice Carlos Britto has said the court should reach a decision in the case before July of this year.
Just weeks ago, a team of scientists working in Brazil announced the success of a study treating type 1 juvenile diabetes with adult stem cells. Fourteen out of 15 participants in a study conducted by the University of São Paulo were able to stop their insulin injections for a significant period of time following treatment with stem cells taken from their own bone marrow—one patient is still insulin-free 34 months after treatment.
The study was reviewed in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
See related LifeSiteNews coverage:
Brazil Priest Fined $3000 For Calling Anthropologist “Pro-Abortion”
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/aug/05082502.html
Brazil-Backed Treaty Seeks to Make Homosexual Sex a ‘Human Right’ in North and South America
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/dec/06121204.html
Brazil Judge Permits Homosexual Adoption
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/jul/05071202.html