BRUSSELS, July 8, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The European Commission recently published guidelines for public funding of stem cell research which propose that funding be made available for research on so-called “spare embryos” created during the in vitro fertility procedure. The Commission endorsed the proposal, which must be approved by the European parliament and the council of ministers, in an effort designed to help put Europe at the forefront of the new unethical research.
The guidelines will likely bring the Commission into conflict with Europe's five most Catholic countries, Italy, Portugal, Spain Germany and Ireland, who have expressed serious ethical concerns with human embryonic stem cell research which always involves the death of embryonic human beings regardless of the source of the embryos. The guidelines ban the creation of embryo's for research purposes, but encourage scientists to produce extra embryos for research during in vitro processes.