Stem Cell Research Funding Debated Across The Pond

The debate over whether or not to use taxpayer funding for embryonic stem cell research is going on in the European Union. According to the Financial Times Germany objected to such research in a letter to the European Commission:

"The EU science programme should not be used to give financial incentives to kill embryos. The current proposal from the European Commission and the European parliament does not rule this out."

Martin Rees, president of Britain's Royal Society, said: "Last week the US decided to stay in the slow lane on stem cell research, hindering the global race to develop therapies that could benefit millions of people. It now appears that some countries wish to force the EU into the slow lane alongside the US."

The EU vote for funding embryonic stem cell research is apparently "wafer thin."

Whole thing here.

Comments

[Jason Ligon]

Hmm. You normally think of this debate as something inherently American, with the rest of the developed world being simultaneously less influenced by religous voters and more prone to use taxpayer dollars for, well, everything.

[SR]

Jaso, I would say that since the average EU citizen is considerably more anti-science-as-means-of-human-progress than the average American citizen, those factors are being balanced off in this situation.

[kevrob]

The U.S. Federal government may be in the "slow lane." Many of the several states' governments, notably Wisconsin's and California's, are not. Also, the people of the U.S. are free to fund the research voluntarily. The EU may reflexively do these things centrally, but there's no need for us to do so.

Kevin

[SR]

Sorry, that should've been "Jason" rather than "Jaso". I honestly don't speak like a Hollywood agent.