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EU Funds Stem Cell Research, Despite Split December 03 2003 at 08:06PM Reuters By David Milliken Brussels - The European Commission will fund controversial research using stem cells harvested from human embryos, despite the failure of EU ministers to agree ethical guidelines, a commissioner said on Wednesday. The European Union remained split after the second meeting in a week between those states saying the research could lead to a cure for diseases such as Alzheimer's, and predominantly Catholic countries which insist the research is unethical. The EU decided last year to fund the research, but its member states issued a temporary freeze while the bloc's executive devised ethical rules. After the talks broke up, EU Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin said he would go ahead with funding once the moratorium expires at the end of the year. "The moratorium was to get the Commission to make proposals. If these proposals aren't approved, what should the Commission do?" Busquin told a news conference. Of the EU's €17-billion (R128-billion) research budget, stem cell scientists are unlikely to receive an amount exceeding 50 million euros, diplomats say. The tricky diplomatic job of brokering a compromise between the EU's 15 member states will now fall to Ireland, where the government's support of stem cell research funding contrasts with a constitutional ban on abortion. The presidency of the European Council, which organises meetings of EU ministers, rotates every six months. Italy's term expires at the end of 2003. Stem cells are the "master" cells of the body. Taken from embryos, they can form tissues of any kind and scientists believe they have the potential to transform medicine by offering treatment for a range of diseases from juvenile diabetes to Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. Stem cells can be harvested from aborted embryos, embryos left over from in-vitro fertilisation and embryos cloned especially for the purpose. This has led to objections from, among others, the Catholic Church, which believes destroying embryos is morally equivalent to killing people. SOURCE: Reuters / Independent Online, South Africa http://tinyurl.com/xok9 * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn