DUBLIN, September 22, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A government official has said that the Irish government will not oppose a European Union measure to use Irish tax dollars to fund destructive research on human embryos. Despite the fact that such research is illegal in Ireland, Ned Costello, a spokesman for the Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment told The Irish Catholic that: “The government has indicated that it is not opposing the current proposal.”
Ireland's opposition is crucial since Germany, Austria and Italy already oppose the proposal and Ireland's opposition would be sufficient to block the consensus needed to proceed with the plan.
Dana Rosemary Scallon, an Irish Member of the European Parliament, called the research “unethical and unconstitutional.” Scallon, a long-time pro-life supporter, urged “people to lobby their political representatives to ensure that the Irish government does not support EU funding of research on human embryos.” In comments to the Irish Catholic she said, “We must ask why our Government is not upholding the protection of human life under Article 40.3 by using Irish taxpayers money to fund this appalling research in other EU states. It is time to seriously question why our political representatives continue to ignore Ireland's Constitution in the pursuit of appeasing the EU. If our political leaders and representatives have such disdain for Ireland's constitution then let them stand aside.”