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Monday, 5 February, 2001, 22:01 GMT Ministers urged to monitor research MPs want tight restrictions on stem cell research MPs have called on the government to closely monitor research on human embryos. A cross-party group of MPs has warned that the Alder Hey organ retention scandal highlighted the "arrogance" of some researchers. The all-party parliamentary pro-life group is tabling a House of Commons early day motion warning of the dangers of allowing the "scientific establishment" to decide on embryonic research. The House of Lords backed government plans in January to allow stem cell research on human embryos to be carried out in Britain for the first time. However, many peers expressed fears at the time that the change in policy would allow scientists to clone humans. The government has denied this and has promised that only scientists who secure special licences will be able to carry out stem cell research. Warning But in a statement, MPs from each of the main parties warned the Alder Hey scandal showed that some scientists and doctors may try to override restrictions. They said: "Let the child organ scandal be a warning to the British public. "The vast majority of doctors and scientists are ethically motivated and sincerely concerned about the fight against disease. "However, the manner in which the pathology departments of hospitals in many parts of the country simply took the organs from dead children without reference to their parents is symptomatic of the arrogance of some doctors and scientists who think their research should be allowed to over-ride any ethical or moral restrictions. "Throughout the cloning debates some of us became increasingly concerned about the propaganda campaign by medical and scientific groups, very obviously manipulating the sick and disabled in their attempts to win public favour for cloning." Concern The MPs - who include Labour's Jim Dobbin, Tory David Amess and Liberal Democrat Ronnie Fearn - said they were concerned about allowing scientists to carry out research on human embryos. "We think that allowing scientists to produce clones and work on stem cells could in fact result in them ignoring the use of adult stem cells which, from all accounts, offer a far more likely source of treatment for many degenerative diseases than does work using embryos." Many people believe that embryo research could help scientists to develop cures for a range of conditions including Parkinson's disease, cancers and heart disease. Opponents of the research insist that similar research results could be achieved using adult stem cells found in bone marrow, umbilical cords, the brain, and other parts of the body. The group's early day motion calls on the government "to monitor research ensuring that no embryo is used where alternatives exist". http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk_politics/newsid_1155000/1155190.stm