Catholic leaders back adult stem cell research

The presidents of the Catholic Bishops' conferences of England & Wales, Scotland and Ireland have announced the award of a £25,000 grant, funded from a special Day for Life collection, to support adult stem cell research in the UK.

This week, MPs in the Commons voted on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (HFE) Bill in favour of the creation of animal-human embryos to be used in stem cell research.

The Cardinals' donation has been made to Novussanguis, an international research consortium on cord blood and adult stem cells for therapeutic aims that was launched in Paris on 14 May.

"We support scientific research that seeks to cure disease and suffering," said the Cardinals - Cardinal Sean Brady, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor and Cardinal Keith O'Brien.

"The HFE Bill has focused on embryonic stem cell research. In fact, much greater progress has already been made towards clinical therapies using adult stem cells. Other emerging techniques hold potential for good, without creating and destroying human embryos. We are making this donation as a sign of the Church's commitment to science and human good."

They welcomed a meeting between Catholics and scientists last week which identified the need for continued dialogue, saying that it had "re-enforced the fact that there are profound questions both about the scientific efficacy of proposed techniques and their ethical justification".

The Cardinals said that "not nearly enough time" had been given to discussing the ethical considerations that should limit bio-medical research and the extent to which the UK was "in danger of neglecting more promising therapies by focusing too much on embryonic stem cell research".

They also questioned the Government's "dramatic step" of legalising research on cybrid and hybrid embryos "just as new techniques are emerging which would make the use of such hybrids in research redundant".