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PR: Proposals should be rejected
23.04.2008
Youth Defence have condemned the report of the Irish Council of Bioethics which supports embryo research as “scientifically ignorant” and “crassly undemocratic” and have said the Council’s proposals should be rejected out of hand.
In a strongly worded press release Eoghan de Faoite said: “Why did the Council have a public consultation when their minds were obviously already made up? Why did they bother to ask the Irish people’s opinion if they were going to flatly ignore them?”
He went on to say “I also think it’s absurd that they would make such a declaration at a time when all of the leading experts in stem-cell research worldwide are turning their backs on embryonic research and focusing on adult stem cells, because that is what is working. Adult stem cells have been far more effective in treating disease, and don’t have the side-effects which arise with embryonic stem cells. After pumping millions into embryonic research, financial backers and scientists are pulling out and focusing on adult stem cells, which fortunately do not have any ethical or moral concerns.”
The Council ran a public consultation process in 2007, and have admitted that 70% of the submissions they received were pro-life, beingopposed to all forms of embryo research.
"As a state-funded body, they have shown contempt for the taxpayers who funded this report, by ignoring their expressed opposition to lethal research,” said Mr. de Faoite, who added that the Irish Council of Bioethics seem to be "pursuing their own agenda rather than considering the scientific facts or reflecting the wishes of the Irish people."
Lethal research on embryos can never be justified, and is neither scientifically advantageous nor acceptable to the majority of Irish people.
Youth Defence facilitated the pro-life community in making submissions to the Irish Council of Bioethics and in our oral submission to the Council we reflected the views of the majority of Irish people in rejecting the barbarism of embryonic stem cell research.
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