European Union restricting embryo destruction

Be sure and read this week's "Lifematters", the bioethics column in Christianity Today which is written by Nigel Cameron, Ph.D. This week, the topic begins with an overview of the goals of transhumanists and then links to the various news articles on successful adult stem cell research and moving on to the controversy surrounding destructive embryonic stem cell research in the European Union.

Dr. Cameron points out that, while focusing on embryonic stem cells, the US media ignores the greater issue of changing humans through biotechnology and the facts that not only are there current treatments and great promise resulting from adult stem cells, there have been no benefits from embryonic stem cells.

The "mainstream media" also ignores that other nations have policies even more restrictive than that in the US. They ignore the fact that nations such as Germany, Austria and even France and Canada have criminalized what our government refuses to fund, but has not outlawed.

From the article in The Scientist::

"Germany, Austria and other nations opposed to EU funding of human embryonic stem cell research proposed an EU funding ban this month in Brussels at a meeting of the EU's 25 national science ministers, raising concerns that the minority group could force nations to remove this funding from the newest budget, even for scientists in countries where the research is legal.

"The six nations -- including also Italy, Poland, Malta and Slovakia -- failed to win additional backing at the meeting for a funding ban, but do hold enough combined voting power in the Council of science ministers to form a so-called "blocking minority." This means they could halt enactment of the EU's next science funding program for 2007-13, known as Framework Programme 7 (FP7), unless wording is added to the final FP7 document that would ban EU funding of human embryonic stem cell research.

"Under Framework Programme 6 (FP6) guidelines, the EU gives funding priority to human adult stem cell research and will not fund any research on embryonic stem cells conducted in member states that forbid the research. Under FP6, eight projects involving human embryonic stem cell research have been funded and nearly 100 involving human adult stem cells have received funding approval, said Antonia Mochan, spokeswoman for EU Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik.

"Mochan told The Scientist that Potocnik has recommended that current guidelines pertaining to funding of human embryonic stem cell research in FP6 be retained in FP7. Although the six nations oppose this proposal, 15 nations agree, and four are neutral. Before any FP7 money for research can start flowing, a final plan must be approved by a qualified majority of the Council's 25 science ministers and also by the European Parliament.

"Daniel Pipeleers, professor at Brussels Free University-VUB and director of the JDRF Center for Beta Cell Therapy in Diabetes, which will receive about €1 million from the EU in direct support of human embryonic stem cell research from 2005-10 under FP6 guidelines, told The Scientist that he is concerned. (According to Mochan, already-approved FP6 money would not be affected by changes in FP7.)

"Pipeleers added that a small group of nations should not impose a minority opinion on the EU. "I don't think they can decide for the whole EU," he said, adding that successful research in human embryonic stem cells requires collaboration among scientists across the EU, involving also teams working on adult stem cells, as well as ethicists. "Trying to block EU incentives and support for such European scientific collaboration goes too far."

"This is a familiar situation to EU scientists -- opponents of human embryonic stem cell research actively sought an EU funding ban in FP6, Pipeleers said, but eventually accepted the current guidelines. They might not give up as easily this time, he added.

"In an interview with The Scientist, Florian Frank, a spokesman for Germany's new Minister of Education and Research, Annette Schavan, who strongly opposes human embryonic stem cell research, said that Germany's position is that EU funding should not be used for research projects that are not legal in Germany, even if those projects take place in other countries. If EU money is being used to support research not legal in Germany, "then we have something to say about it," he said.

"Frank added that Germany would continue trying to convince other nations to accept this position. "This is politics. You try to convince the others." However, he declined to say if Germany would form a blocking minority if the FP7 does not ban EU funding for human embryonic stem cell research."

As would be expected, the representatives of Germany will not support money from their country's taxes going to research that would be illegal if carried out in that country. For some reason, this is considered a minority's blocking the goals of the majority.

As the EU is a "Union," and has a set of rules in place for determining the collection and dispersal of funds, why shouldn't the members follow those rules?