Catholic bishops have urged Irish MEPs to vote against research on human embryos when the issue is discussed in the EU parliament later today.
The parliament is to vote on whether to fund the research on the stem cells. Stem cells are a particular type of cell which can, technically speaking, become any other type of cell in the body.
There are two broad categories of stem cells: adult stem cells which can be taken from umbilical cord blood, bone marrow and some other tissues and organs; and embryonic stem cells which are taken from embryos.
The Irish Bishops' Conference
In a statement last ngiht, the Irish Bishops' Conference said there were "serious moral implications" to be considered.
"A question of such profound moral and human significance should not be treated under the heading of research funding.
"The crucial issue is that using a human embryo as an object of research is nothing short of destruction of a human life."
The Bishops said the European Union should fund research on adult stem cells.
"This type of stem cell research comes with none of the ethical difficulties associated with research on human embryos," the statement added.
"Ireland, at European level, should take a lead in opposing the destruction of human embryos, which regrettably, it has not done so far."