Keeping Stem-cell Research

Brussels

The European Union this week rejected Germany’s proposal to ban E.U. funding of research on embryonic stem cells. Germany wanted to ensure that none of its contributions toward the European science budget would go toward stem-cell research in another E.U. country. But its proposal drew strong opposition from leading scientists. Physicist Stephen Hawking, who suffers from Lou Gehrig’s disease, said that “Europe should not follow the reactionary lead of President Bush,” who last week vetoed a bill to expand stem-cell research in the U.S. Such research, Hawking said, could potentially lead to cures for his condition and many other degenerative diseases. The E.U. said it would continue to fund research using embryos left over from in vitro fertilization procedures—a process many conservatives consider the destruction of human life.

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