EU votes to continue stem cell research

The European Parliament has voted in favour of prolonging EU funding of stem cell research.

EU funds will now continue to be used for research into human stem cells, both adult and embryonic, depending on the content of each scientific proposal.

However, strict conditions will continue to apply to projects using human embryonic cells for research.

While only a small share of funding from the European Union research budget for 2007 to 2013 is earmarked for stem cell research, the controversial issue has overshadowed negotiations on the budget for months.

Responding to today's decision, Audrey Dillon of the Irish Pro-Life Campaign described the vote as "very disappointing." She said it was misleading "to raise false hopes that embryonic stem cell research is on the verge of producing cures for chronic diseases and disabilities."

"In actual fact, the breakthroughs are happening in adult stem cell research, which is perfectly ethical and uncontroversial," she said. "Sadly the EU Parliament has chosen to ignore the fact that embryonic research involves the destruction of human life at its earliest stages of development."

The Irish Bishop's Conference issued a statement last night which highlighted what it said were "the serious moral implications" of the vote, which could approve the funding of research on human embryos, that results in their destruction.

The Conference suggested that funding for research should be restricted to research into adult stem cells only. "The crucial issue is that using a human embryo as an object of research is nothing short of destruction of human life," the statement said.

Human stem cells can develop into any cell type. Scientists believe they can be used to develop drugs for diseases for which no treatments are available or to help repair parts of the body.

Their use is controversial because the most promising stem cells for treating human diseases are derived from very early human embryos left over from fertility treatments.

There is no general policy under the EU's current research programme but permission for individual projects using human stem cells is granted by a committee on a case-by-case basis.

Each project has to show that the research could not be conducted using adult stem cells such as bone marrow. A majority of member governments favour continuing this approach.

Additional reporting: Reuters