GERMANY
The national Council of Bioethics in Germany issued a statement on 16 July regarding a possible amendment of the Law on stem cells, which would open the possibility of abrogating the ban on the importation of embryonic stem cells produced before 1st January 2002 (the so-called “Stichtagsregelung” or deadline regulation). The German Bishops’ Conference has issued a communiqué on the issue, signed by its general secretary, Hans Langendörfer, warning against “any further weakening of the protection of the embryo”. The statement of the Council of Bioethics (called “On the question of an amendment of the law on stem cells”) starts out from the question raised by the world of research, namely whether “the law of 2002 should be amended, especially in consideration of the ‘deadline regulation'”. Reaffirming the objective pursued by the legislator, that of defending human embryos from destruction and from their use for research purposes, as established by the German Constitution, the bishops declare that this objective “cannot be lost sight of”. “There is no reason to admit exceptions to the long-term ethical decisions of our constitutional system”. “To the embryo are due the right to life and unlimited protection from the moment of conception onwards. Any other premise that fixes the start of life in a subsequent phase, or that recognizes only a limited protection for the embryo, raises fundamental problems of an ethical nature. The procurement of human embryonic stem cells involves the killing of embryos. The promotion of research interests at no matter how high a level cannot in any case cause the commercialisation of human embryos. The protection of life cannot be subordinated to the freedom of research”. The objectives of the law on stem cells also include the obligation to avoid any encouragement to the killing of human embryos in Germany. “That must also be the case in future – insists the bishops’ statement – especially since the promotion of alternative ethical methods to find new possibilities of therapy and cure (adult stem cells) has not yet been completely exhausted”.
