COMECE
“There is no reason to make a moral distinction between the embryo at the very beginning of his or her life and after implantation in the womb or after 14 days. Human dignity does not depend – and must not be made dependent – on decisions of other human beings”, declares Monsignor Noel Treanor, general secretary of the Commission of the episcopates of the European Community (Comece) in a press release commenting on the decision of the European Parliament to fund research on human embryonic stem cells. The press release recalls that “every human life begins at conception and needs particular protection if it is created outside the woman’s body. Human life must never be instrumentalised. We therefore remain opposed in principle to the destruction of any human embryo and to the use of human embryonic stem cells”. Pointing out that the decision of the EP was adopted with a slim majority of only 284 votes in favour, 249 against and 32 abstentions, Msgr. Treanor remarks that “there are divergent views on the anthropological status of the embryo and of the ethical implications of experimentation on human embryos. Yet, since the use and destruction of human embryos is an issue which touches on the inviolability of human life and dignity and thus concerns most deeply held convictions of many Eu citizens, the Eu has a moral duty to abstain from promoting through joint funding such research that is prohibited in several member states”. “Through its funding decision – concludes Treanor – the Eu would interfere with the delicate national decisions made on this matter and would violate the principle of subsidiarity”.
