Spain's Socialist government authorised research with embryonic stem cells yesterday, the latest in a string of laws set to rile the Catholic church. Spain's previous right-wing, pro-church Popular Party government passed a law last year to allow stem cell research on embryos but only under a string of conditions. It never took the necessary steps to put the law into effect. But the new government stripped out some of the conditions and issued guidelines yesterday so that scientists can start their work.
The move came despite opposition from the Vatican. Ninety per cent of Spain's population calls themselves Catholic but liberal views increasingly coexist with traditional Catholic values. "It is not ethical to place obstacles and difficulties in the way of scientists who are using their talent and knowledge to improve our capacity to treat illness," Deputy Prime Minister Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega told a news conference. Research in Spain will only be allowed on embryos which have already been created for fertility treatments and then frozen when they were not needed.
| To me it seems like heavy weather in a teapot. No doubt I'm missing something... |
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