Human embryonic stem cell research

Latest (24/07/06): Human embryonic stem cell research

The Chairman of EASAC, Professor David Spearman, has appealed to Ministers attending a European Council meeting today (24 July 2006) not to impose a blanket ban on the use of European funding for scientific and medical research on human embryonic stem cells.
 
In a <link http: www.easac.eu fileadmin pdf_s _blank external-link-new-window external link in new>letter to Mauri Pekkarinen, the Finnish Minister for Trade and Industry who will be chairing the Council meeting Professor Spearman pointed out that science academies across Europe believe that scientific and medical research on embryonic stem cells should be subject to the principle of subsidiarity, and that individual Member States should choose whether to use European funding for it.

Reports suggest that a blocking minority of countries at the Council meeting will reject the recommendation of the European Parliament to keep in place existing regulations that allow funding from the European Framework Programme to support scientific and medical research on stem cells derived from human embryos left over from fertility treatments, in those Member States where such research is permitted. A dispute could seriously delay approval for the entire Framework Programme 7 budget, worth 54 billion Euros, for all areas of science.

See also: Interacademy Panel statement on human cloning