Enormous economic interests” “” “

The US private corporation “Advanced Cell Technology” has publicly announced in recent days that it has successfully cloned a human embryo in its laboratories in Massachusetts. “We have no intention of creating new human beings, but only of deriving, from the cloned embryos, the stem cells that are needed for the treatment of some diseases”, declared the company’s vice-president, Robert Lanza. Numerous condemnations of these experiments have been expressed by the political, scientific and religious communities. The European Commissioner for research, Philippe Busquin, has declared his opposition to the experiment because “an embryo is created only to destroy it”. The Holy See, for its part, has reaffirmed its “unequivocal condemnation” of human cloning, both for therapeutic and for reproductive purposes. We interviewed Vincenzo Costigliola , president of the European Medical Association. Isn’t it sufficient to use stem cells for the production of transplantable tissues? “Of course, it would be more than possible. But behind the American experiment lie hidden powerful economic interests. This time they limited the experiment to six cells. But there’s no guarantee for the future. To prevent the situation from degenerating further, it is essential that the international scientific community expresses itself as soon as possible against this kind of practice. Both the USA and Europe, at the institutional level, have confirmed their pledge not to finance the cloning of human embryos. But we must bear in mind that, however firm and resolute the condemnations may be, the private sector that has the intention of speculating in this field will not be easily discouraged”. In spite of the European Commission’s condemnation of the experiment, the European Parliament approved the programme of funding research on superfluous embryos on 13 November. Is there a contradiction with the prohibition, sanctioned by the same programme, on the destruction of human embryos for research purposes? “There is undoubtedly a contradiction in terms here. The double standards of the Commission’s decisions are confirmed: on the one hand, there is the scientific part, on the basis of which it is affirmed that such embryos might as well be used for experiments, given that they would be destroyed in any case. From the ethical point of view, however, the embryo is acknowledged to have a human identity. This is a question that needs to be discussed at the European level, without doubt; but it is indispensable that clear limits be set. Today, for example, it is not possible to establish with certainty what is permissible, and what is not permissible, to do. The regulations, of which there is a dangerous lack, need to be precise, and respectful of the will of individuals and especially of human life”. How do the Committees of bioethics intervene in this field? “We need to ask, rather, at what level the Committees of bioethics intervene. At the hospital level? At the university level? Or at other levels? The problem is that there are no rules or guidelines on the matter. There is only a general frame of reference. Such Committees also exist in the USA, after all, but that didn’t stop the laboratory in Massachusetts from continuing its experiments. Then there is a by no means secondary aspect concerning the language in which theories and practices are presented: it’s not enough to say that the end consists in the production of tissues, because the means to do so also have their relevance. The stem cells may be used, or the cells of one person may be cultivated with the purpose of using them for the treatment of that same person, in full respect for the personal ethical dimension of each individual. At this time I realize the importance of clarifying the problem in terms accessible to everyone. The ‘no’ expressed on the basis of ethical considerations is often incomprehensible to people, or even unjust and offensive for those awaiting a transplant. That’s why we must be able to explain that we are not against the therapy but against the arbitrary use of human embryos for therapeutic ends that can and must be satisfied in other ways. We must recall the value and sacredness of human life”.