By Terry Vanderheyden
VALETTA, November 29, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Maltese officials joined with officials from five other western European nations to object to European Union support for embryonic stem cell research yesterday.
Malta’s Competitiveness Minister Censu Galea launched the complaint in Brussels, emphasizing the country is against the use of human embryos for use in medical research. The objection was a part of a joint declaration also adopted by Austria, Germany, Italy, Poland and Slovakia. The countries petitioned the EU to drop plans to fund research that utilizes human embryos in favour of research that uses adult stem cells exclusively.
“We are of the opinion that the approach envisaged by the Seventh Research Framework Programme and the specific programmes does not take sufficiently into account the therapeutic potential of human adult stem cells and ask for a consequent commitment at community level in order to reinforce the research of human adult stem cells,” the group stated, according to a Times of Malta report.
The group wants the decision about how funds are allocated to be left to individual member states. They added that, on ethical matters such as this, it was inappropriate for the EU to decide how funds should be spent.
See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
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EU Commissioner Promises Malta EU Won’t Push Abortion Ever
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https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/nov/04111705.html