New political course of action

Danka Jaceckova, SIR Europe correspondent (Bratislava), interviewed Slovakian MEP Miroslav Mikolasik (EPP), co-chair of the Bioethics Integroup of the European Parliament, on issues related to bioethics and life support in the European Union.What are the main current issues on the field of bioethics associated with work of the European parliament and overall situation in the European Union?"Defense of true pro-life values within the European Parliament has always been a very difficult task. Our rigorous line doesn’t often enjoy a majority even within our political group of the European People’s Party, not to mention the socialists and liberals who have substantially different view on the protection of human life from its conception to natural death. We can observe certain relativism even when speaking about Christian politicians who do not always adhere to the principles. To the most important bioethical issues nowadays belong human embryonic stem cell research, human enhancement, voluntary and unpaid donation of cells, tissues and organs, dignity of mentally impaired and aged persons, so called rights of sexual and reproductive health".Recently, the European Court of Justice has made a historical decision regarding the use of human embryos for scientific research. The case concerned an application by Greenpeace, seeking annulment of a patent held by scientist Oliver Brüstle. Let’s recall the ECJ’s judgment in detail."I sincerely applaude this historical European Court of Justice decision on the non-patentability of inventions derived from human embryo and human embryonic stem cells. The case originated in Germany where Greenpeace had argued that Brüstle’s European patent was actually unpatentable because it involved the isolation and purification of cells which came from human embryonic stem cells and thus leading to the destruction of human embryos. In response, Brüstle argued that the cells could be used to treat serious conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and the patent should stand. The Court was asked to give a correct interpretation of the Directive on legal protection of bioetchnological inventions. The Court held that legislature had intended to exclude any possibility of patentability where respect for human dignity could be affected. The Court ruled that in the context of European patent law, life begins from the moment of conception. Thus, the immediate effect of the decision is that in all 27 EU Member States, patents shall not be granted for processes that involve the destruction of the embryo. This is truly a great victory and an important milestone!".What practical implications result from this decision in relation to the European context?"In the European Parliament, we recently received a Commission’s proposal on the research strategy called Horizon 2020 and soon we will also discuss the 8th Framework Programme for Research for years 2014-2020. Unfortunately, it doesn’t sufficiently reflect this new reality and still intends to use EU taxpayers’ money to fund research which involves human embryonic stem cells even though when it cannot be patented. There are Member States where this type of reasearch is even illegal. Moreover, today there are sound scientific proofs that this research simply hasn’t brought promised results and there are better and ethically not controversial alternatives such as adult stem cells or umbilical cord blood stem cells. I addressed a letter to the president of the European Commission J. M. Barosso and other commissionners calling upon a new policy line which would take into consideration rigorous legal implications of this decision".What can you say to the question of so-called "reproductive rights" of women, or the problem of euthanasia, both deeply connected with the topic of protection of life from the conception to the natural death?"So-called ‘Cairo language’ using term sexual and reproductive rights as they were formally introduced in 1994 during the UN conference on Population and Development does include silent promotion of abortion. Looking at the numbers of abortions mostly in Europe I can’t avoid concluding that demographic winter is just a consequence of egoism resulting to refusal of human life in its most vulnerable stage of existence. On the opposite side of human’s life river there is a natural death. In the light of Evagelium Vitae, I strongly believe that promotion of the protection of human life from conception to natural death is our most important mission nowadays".