Quebec Bans Destructive Research on Human Embroyos

MONTREAL, Jan 14, 02 (LSN.ca/CWNews.com) - The province of Quebec has announced a ban on all destructive research involving human embryos. David Cliche, Quebec's Minister of State for Science and Technology, unveiled new guidelines on ethical research last week in which the creation and use of stem cells extracted from human embryos (resulting in the death of the embryos) is "forbidden."

The ban also covers all research including that which is privately funded. This puts the province far ahead of many other national and international governments in resisting powerful corporate and ideological pressures to allow the socially dangerous and immoral "research."

Cliche dismissed a possible conflict with upcoming federal legislation on the matter which proposes to allow embryonic stem cell research. "There is currently a debate about the possibility of allowing research on human stem cells taken from embryos that were left over from in vitro fertilization. In Quebec, this is forbidden. It is not practiced. We'll see down the road, but as of now, it is forbidden."

The guidelines also forbid all human cloning, including cloning supposedly for research purposes only. The creation of animal-human hybrids or chimeras is also forbidden. Instead, the government has promoted research into stem cells taken from adults using non-destructive means.

Quebec researchers and ethicists agreed with the decision. Margaret Somerville, an ethicist at the McGill Centre for Medicine, Ethics and Law, said she approves of the Quebec position. "I happen to agree with it," she said, calling it a "respect-for-all-stages-of-life position - from the earliest embryo to when we are dead." Campaign Life Coalition Quebec (Campagne Quebec Vie) President Gilles Grondin said, "It is the best pro-life news I've heard in thirteen years."

Catholic World News Service - Daily News Briefs
14. januar 2002