El gobierno australiano salva de la experimentación  las vidas de los embriones congelados

MELBOURNE, Australia, FEB. 26, 2002 (Zenit.org).- The federal Cabinet has decided to ban the use of so-called spare human embryos for research, the Age newspaper reported. The decision overturns the recommendations of a broad-based parliamentary committee, which last year gave the green light for embryonic stem-cell research in Australia. The embryos to be used are considered "leftovers" from in vitro fertilization procedures.

Some contend stem-cell research is vital for finding cures for debilitating conditions such as Parkinson´s disease and diabetes. Embryonic stem cells that have the ability to grow into any type of body tissue are currently derived from 3- to 7-day-old surplus IVF embryos. Critics, including the Catholic Church, note that the process destroys the embryonic human life.

The Cabinet decision follows strong opposition by the Australia Federation of Right to Life Associations and the decision by U.S. President George W. Bush last year to ban federal funding to American scientists who wanted to develop new stem-cell lines, the Age said. The decision followed a submission to Cabinet by the new Minister for Aging, Kevin Andrews, a Catholic and social policy conservative. Andrews successfully led the campaign to overturn legislation in the Northern Territory to allow euthanasia in some circumstances.

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