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PR: UCC Decision defies ethics, morality and science
29.10.2008
UCC Consideration of lethal embryo research "has political, not scientific, agenda pushing itYouth Defence has said that the decision of the governing body of University College Cork to approve of embryonic stem cell research was the result of a carefully choreographed bid to undermine legal protection for the human embryo. Spokeswoman Carolyn Johnston added that the decision defied "ethics, morality and scientific progress" saying that it was a "regressive step to experiment on human life when the scientific community was turning away from embryo research and adult stem cells were producing amazing results."
The decision of the governing body of University College Cork to begin experimentation on human embryonic stem cell lines was prompted by its Ethics Board - but that board is chaired by Dr Deirdre Madden who was previously a member of the Commission on Assisted Reproduction and who is a long-time campaigner in favour of embryo research. "The Commission for Assisted Human Reproduction went as far as calling for the legalisation of cloning, they are completely out of touch with the views of the majority of people in this country on this issue," said Ms Johnston. "This decision by the UCC governing body seems most carefully choreographed - and appears to be a bid to undermine legal protection for the human embryos."
The UCC ethics board conducted a private consultation amongst academic staff querying as to whether they would support lethal research on human embryos - but the Board asked faculty members to choose between four options, with only one option rejecting the use of embryonic stem cells as unethical.
Youth Defence said that the proposal seemed to have a political, rather than a scientific agenda. They also pointed out that the proposal would not enjoy the support of the Irish people who opposed embryo research in a large majority of submissions to the Irish Council of Bioethics. "Submissions to the ICB showed that 70% of Irish people opposed research on human embryos, while 65 % said they would be unwilling to use medical treatments that were developed using embryonic stem cells," said Carolyn Johnston. "Neither ivory-tower academics nor political quangos should be allowed to override the wishes of the people."
"The decision by UCC is deplorable," she added. "It flies in the face of the newest scientific developments and remains doggedly fixed to an ideological, unscientific position from which the rest of the world has moved on
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