In a letter dated 8 March, the Swiss Bishops’ Conference, through its president Bishop Amedée Grab, has presented a series of proposals on the new regulation on research on stem cells. Recalling the declaration of 27 February, issued by the work group on bioethics of the bishops’ conference, the Swiss episcopate reaffirms its position that “irrespective of whether the status of person is attributed to it or not, the human embryo enjoys the same juridical protection as the person. This applies also to test-tube embryos produced in the context of in-vitro fertilization”. The bishops support the need for the new legislation to refer to the existing law on reproductive medicine that makes provision for the production of embryos in quantities strictly necessary for fertilization and pregnancy, “since in this case too the main problem consists in the use of embryos to obtain stem cells.” The bishops’ conference expresses astonishment at the existence of “so many embryos not implanted in the uterus, and hence considered ‘surplus to requirements'”, in spite of “the restrictive provisions of the law on fertilization”. Consequently, the bishops wonder “whether the obligation of control by the competent authorities has been sufficiently fulfilled” and express astonishment that “no reliable data exist on the number of embryos ‘surplus to requirements'”, in spite of the fact that this is prescribed by the law. The bishops also say they are surprised “by the tenor” of the new law, which “reads almost like an exhortation by physicians to convince the couples concerned to place their embryos at the disposal of research on stem cells, as if they were organs for transplant”. They further underline the need for the couples concerned to be informed of the “consequences at the ethical level when faced by the decision whether to let their embryos die to obtain stem cells”.
